EPA's Region 8

office works to

protect human

health and the

environment in

Colorado, Montana,

North Dakota, 

South Dakota, 

Utah, Wyoming 

and 27 sovereign

tribal nations.

Welcome to EPA’s Legacy Report, a summary of 

EPA’s achievements in the Rocky Mountains and 

Plains since 2001. 

EPA Region 8 — the Mountains and Plains region —

encompasses some of the nation’s most vibrant landscapes

and communities. Over the past eight years, the 700

employees who work in our Denver headquarters,

Golden, Colorado laboratory, and Helena, Montana field

office have worked to maintain the integrity of those

landscapes and communities by taking actions that protect

human health and the environment. 

We have done so in many ways -- some dramatic and

well-publicized, some smaller, but no less meaningful. We

have taken actions to control emissions from oil and gas

production activities that protect air quality, human health

and the vistas that define the West. We have made

progress cleaning up some of the most dangerous

hazardous waste sites in the nation and set them firmly on

the path to productive reuse. We have leveraged

enforcement agreements with companies that reduce

pollution and provide a deterrent against future violations

of environmental laws. We have cleaned up harmful

emissions from school buses and have removed

dangerous chemicals from schools. We have delivered

safe drinking water to rural communities and farm worker

camps and reduced exposure to toxics in environmental

justice communities. These, and the projects included in

this report, are representative of a long list of resultsoriented successes. 

This report is a testimony to the power of collaboration.

While the EPA employees I have the privilege of working

with are dedicated and skilled professionals, they will be

the first to acknowledge that our Agency’s success

depends on the commitment of all the citizens, business

owners, and partners in other agencies and organizations

across our six states and 27 tribal nations. Without the

efforts and commitment of many, none of the successes

outlined in this report would have been possible. 

Looking back at the past eight years, I have no doubt that

we all have made significant progress in securing cleaner

air, water and land. Today, more than ever, our success as

an Agency depends on finding new ways to collaborate

with citizens and partners. By working together, we 

will define the environmental progress we will 

celebrate tomorrow. 

Carol Rushin

EPA Acting Regional Administrator

Denver, Colorado

CONTENTS

Hazardous Waste

Cleanups ..............Page 3

Partnerships and

Collaboration ........Page 7

Enforcement, Compliance

and Environmental 

Justice ................Page 11 
Hazardous Waste Cleanups SECTION 1

EPA has made progress on several large, high-profile hazardous waste sites since 2001.

These successes include addressing threats to communities and ecosystems through 

Superfund, Brownfields and other programs.

EPA has reached several

milestones in the Clark Fork

River watershed, including the

removal of the Milltown Dam.

The breaching of the dam and

removal of contaminated

sediments is improving water

quality and habitat for fish 

and wildlife.

Dismantling a Dam and Restoring a River

EPA has made remarkable progress restoring water quality and

river habitat in the Clark Fork watershed in Montana — an area

with a long history of pollution associated with hard-rock mining.

One long-awaited milestone was achieved in 2008, with the

dismantling of the Milltown Dam near Missoula. This dam had

become a significant problem due to large amounts of metals from

historic upstream mining activity that had accumulated in the

reservoir and sediments. Over time, arsenic leached into the

Milltown aquifer, polluting the local drinking water supply. In

addition, copper would periodically scour from reservoir

sediments and kill fish downstream of the dam. 

On March 28, 2008, the Milltown Dam was officially breached, a

big step in restoring the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers to a

natural and free-flowing state for the first time in 100 years. As of

July 2008, more than one million tons of sediment have been

removed from the former reservoir bed. Fish continue to move

upstream in the water flowing through the former dam site.

EPA has also secured legal

selements that have made

cleanup actions along the Clark

Fork River possible. In 2005, the

Atlantic Richfield Company and

the NorthWestern Corporation

agreed to complete the $100

million–plus cleanup of the

Milltown Reservoir. In February

2008, EPA reached a separate $186

million agreement with Atlantic Richfield on the Clark Fork River

site, an area covering more than 120 miles of the river

contaminated with cadmium, arsenic, lead, copper and zinc. This

cleanup will remove 167 acres of polluted soils, treat 700 acres of

soil in place, establish 50-. wide riparian areas, replant native

willows, dogwood and coonwood, and stabilize 56 miles of

stream bank against further erosion. Collectively, these actions are

reviving an entire watershed and restoring a recreational and

aesthetic amenity for the citizens of Montana.

Cleanup actions along the Clark Fork

River are benefiting native trout 

and other species who depend on the

river, such as the bald eagle and

northern river oer.

Hazardous Waste Cleanups 3
1

The investigation and cleanup of lead and arsenic in residential soils

at the Vasquez Boulevard & I-70 site near downtown Denver was

completed in August 2006 at a cost of $30 million. This residential

soils project encompassed more than four square miles and

approximately 4,500 properties. EPA took 30 soil samples at each of

4,315 residential yards and removed, replaced and re-landscaped

yards at 761 contaminated properties. This effort included the

removal of 91,000 cubic yards of soil and the installation of 1.5

million square feet of clean sod. 

Safer Neighborhoods in NE Denver

EPA has been addressing health and environmental concerns

at the Eureka Mills Site, a former silver and gold mining area

in Juab County, Utah, since 2002. The site includes extensive

lead and arsenic contamination of properties in Eureka —

population 800 — and adjacent mining areas. EPA has taken

actions to cap large mine waste piles throughout the mining

district and remove lead-contaminated soils at

approximately 700 residential properties. The total cost for

the nearly completed project will be $80 million.

Health concerns associated

with lead exposure have

driven EPA’s cleanup goals

at Eureka. In 2006, EPA

began a program to sample

tap water, household dust

and paint for lead in

homes. The results are

providing residents with

information about reducing

potential lead exposures in

the home.

Reducing Lead Risks in Eureka

Since 2000, EPA has spent nearly $220 million on the cleanup of

asbestos in and near the town of Libby, Montana, where the 

W.R. Grace Company operated a vermiculite mine and processing

facilities from 1963 to 1990. Beginning in the late 1990s, news

reports and site investigations revealed that the vermiculite ore

was contaminated with a dangerous form of asbestos that causes

lung cancer and mesothelioma, a lethal tumor of the lining of the

chest and abdominal cavities. Libby Amphibole Asbestos has been

found in homes, businesses and outdoor areas. The impacts to

human health in the community have been significant. 

To date, over 1,000 properties have been cleaned up, and 500,000

cubic yards of asbestos-contaminated soil have been removed.

This work includes material from homes, yards, businesses,

schools, the high school track and other sources. In June 2008,

EPA and the Department of Health and Human Services

announced an intensive $8 million research effort to study the

specific health effects of Libby Amphibole Asbestos and inform

future cleanup actions.

EPA has been successful in pursuing the legal case against W.R. Grace.

In March 2008, the company agreed to pay the government $250

million, the highest sum in the history of the Superfund program.

This money will be used for future cleanup actions.

Addressing a Health Crisis in a Montana Community

An extensive

lead-paint

abatement

program helped

eliminate

sources of

exposure

throughout NW

Denver

neighborhoods

at the VB-I70 site

0

30

60

90

120

150

Total with elevated blood lead above 10 ug/l: 38

Total with elevated blood lead above 10 ug/l: 9

Total # of people tested

2000 2005

Elevated Blood Lead Levels in Eureka

Blood-lead levels in Eureka are decreasing. Follow-up testing has shown

a steady decline in people with blood-lead levels above the Centers for

Disease Control standard of 10 micrograms per deciliter (ug/l).

Removal of soils

at a residence in

Libby. EPA has

addressed

contamination 

at more than

1,000 properties.

BEFORE AFTER

4 Hazardous Waste Cleanups
1

The former Rocky Mountain Arsenal site encompasses 17,000

acres northeast of Denver that were used to manufacture

chemical weapons and agricultural pesticides from 1942-

1982. Waste disposal practices during these years resulted in

extensive contamination of structures, soils, surface water,

and groundwater with aldrin, dieldrin, dibromochloropropane and arsenic. 

EPA has achieved several significant goals at the Arsenal

since 2001, including the transfer of over 13,000 acres of the

17,000 acre site for reuse. The Department of Defense

transferred 12,000 acres that are now a wildlife refuge visited

by over 30,000 people each year. The refuge is home to more

than 330 species of wildlife, including the bald eagle and a

buffalo herd that is thriving in the wetlands and short-grass

prairie habitat. In 2004, 917 acres of the Arsenal site were

transferred to Commerce City — this property houses a new

city hall and the world’s

largest soccer complex.

From Chemical Waste Dump to

World-renowned Soccer Complex

For nearly 40 years, the U.S. government manufactured

nuclear weapons components at the 6,500-acre Rocky Flats

site northwest of Denver. In 1989, production was halted,

leaving large portions of the site’s structures, soils and

groundwater contaminated with highly radioactive

materials. EPA and its partners have taken steps to

transform what was once notoriously considered one of

the most contaminated places on earth. Removal actions

included removing and safely disposing of 565,000 cubic

meters of radioactive waste and 820,000 cubic meters of

sanitary wastes. In July 2007, the Department of Energy

transferred 4,000 acres of the Rocky Flats for use as a

National Wildlife Refuge.

The “Most Dangerous Site in the Nation” Comes in Clean and Under Budget

EPA’s partnership

with the State of

Colorado and the

Department of

Energy cleaned the

Rocky Flats site at a

cost of $7 billion —

$30 billion under

original estimates

and 13 years ahead

of schedule.

Demolition of the “most dangerous building” in America

EPA has worked with the Department of Defense and state

agencies to secure the cleanup and redevelopment of several

former military facilities in Region 8. Of the five Base

Realignment and Closure sites in the region, four have

transferred 100% of their property for redevelopment. 

Since 2006, the redevelopment of the once-contaminated

Lowry Air Force Base has included 3,500 homes and

apartments for approximately 8,300 residents. Over 100

employers now call Lowry home, providing 7,000 jobs and

adding 3.4 million square feet of commercial space to

Denver’s tax base. The City estimates that the

redevelopment has provided an economic benefit of 

$5.7 billion.

Former Defense Facilities

Enjoy a Renaissance

Closed in 1994,

the former Lowry

Air Force Base is

now a thriving

urban mixed-use

development.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, a

20,000-seat stadium for the

Colorado Rapids soccer club,

is a symbolic centerpiece of

the now revived Rocky

Mountain Arsenal.

Hazardous Waste Cleanups 5
1

EPA’s Brownfields program provides grants and loans that help communities revitalize blighted areas where

environmental contamination is an obstacle preventing productive use. Results since 2001 include:

Cleanup Programs in Action: Protecting the Poudre River From Coal Tar Waste

BY THE NUMBERS Small Cleanup Grants Leverage Big Community Benefits

1,015 

properties 

assessed

26 

cleanups

complete

854 acres

ready for

reuse

658 

new jobs

leveraged

$296 million leveraged 

for cleanup and 

redevelopment

In 2003, the City of Fort Collins, Colorado, applied for an EPA

Brownfields Assessment grant to investigate a property along

the Poudre River – an important recreational amenity and

fishery. The property, located close to downtown, was the site of

a former landfill and a manufactured gas plant that operated

from 1900 to 1930. A major byproduct from the plant’s operation

was coal tar, which over the course of several decades had

migrated slowly in an underground plume to the river.

Contaminants associated with both the landfill and the coal 

tar were identified in groundwater and in the river. 

EPA was a partner in extensive cleanup activities at the site,

which were completed in 2007. The remedy included removing

contaminated sediment and bedrock from a 500-foot stretch of

the Poudre River and building a permanent, underground

barrier wall. The barrier wall system includes groundwater

control wells, pumps and an on-site water treatment system that

will prevent the coal tar from moving toward the river.

Following the installation of the wall, EPA and partners restored

the river channel and reintroduced native vegetation. 

The property itself has been revitalized as a thriving asset.

Today, the 19-acre property includes the Northside Aztlan

Community Center, a United Way facility, a park, playground

and bike path. The restoration of the site and the river provides

public access to the river and is protecting recreational users,

fish and wildlife habitat.

Tar sludge in riverbank Installation of barrier wall Aztlan Community Center

6 Hazardous Waste Cleanups
2

Partnerships and Collaboration 7

Partnerships and Collaboration SECTION

EPA’s success depends on building effective partnerships with government agencies, nonprofit 

organizations, businesses and citizens. Region 8 supports these partnerships with grants, technical 

expertise and other forms of assistance. Over the past eight years, these efforts have secured cleaner air

and water resources, improved human health, and encouraged resource-saving practices.

EPA’s “greening” efforts are helping a diverse set of facilities. A partnership with Yellowstone National Park has leveraged significant

energy savings and a nearly achieved goal of diverting 90 percent of the park’s solid waste. The Pepsi Center’s participation in EPA’s

Energy Star, Climate Leaders and Waste Wise programs has reduced waste volumes sent to landfills, cut annual energy

consumption by 40,000 kilowatt hours, and reduced 8,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. The Pepsi Center now recycles 100

tons of cardboard annually and buys renewable energy certificates for power use.

Promoting Green Practices Through Voluntary Partnerships

Region 8 has taken a leadership role in helping other federal

agencies and businesses reduce energy and water consumption,

solid waste production, and toxic chemical use.

This includes helping the National Park Service reduce the impacts

of providing services in some of our nation’s most ecologically

sensitive places. With EPA’s assistance, Yellowstone National Park

has developed a state-of-the-art environmental management

system. Eighty percent of the waste generated by Yellowstone’s

3.5 million annual visitors is now being recycled as part of the

Park’s “recycle on the go” campaign. This includes a model

program to recycle disposable propane boles. EPA is also

helping Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park, an area with

access to significant renewable geothermal and solar power. EPA

has assisted with a greenhouse gas analysis and emission

reduction plan to help Great Sand Dunes become the nation’s first

carbon-neutral park. 

Region 8 is also helping Colorado businesses adopt green

practices. A recent effort with Denver’s 19,000-seat Pepsi Center

has bolstered the facility’s “Play Clean” program — a

comprehensive commitment to energy and water conservation,

green products procurement, resource conservation and recycling,

reduced use of toxics, and transportation. Highlights include a 

10-kilowa solar array installed on the roof that produces 13,000

kilowa-hours of energy annually and a recycling effort that

diverts 20,000 pounds of material from landfills each year.

Solar panels at Yellowstone. The Pepsi Center
2

8 Partnerships and Collaboration

Ridding Schools of Toxic Chemicals

EPA has made steady progress promoting the cleanup of

abandoned mines that contribute to water quality degradation

throughout the Rocky Mountains. Over the past years, Region 8

has been a leader in using grant programs and new partnerships to

assess and cleanup mines and has advanced a framework for

liability relief that encourages “Good Samaritans” to take on

cleanup activities. 

In one example, EPA’s collaboration with U.S. Forest Service and

Trout Unlimited led to the restoration of a stretch of the American

Fork River in Utah. This effort removed contaminated mine

tailings near the river and restored several acres of public and

private land. Following an initial removal of waste from public

lands, Trout Unlimited, in partnership with Snowbird Ski Resort

and the Tiffany & Co. Foundation, removed 33,000 cubic yards of

waste rock and tailings with elevated levels of heavy metals at

mines on private property. These wastes are now safely

encapsulated in a permanent repository. As a result of these

actions, water quality is protected and the river now supports a

rare, native cuhroat trout in a 10-mile stretch downstream of the

mine site.

Advancing “Good Samaritan” Mine Cleanups

Acid mine

drainage

near Utah’s

American

Fork River.

EPA’s Strategic Agriculture Initiative is helping agricultural producers

transition from using higher risk pesticides to sustainable, reduced-risk

practices such as biological pesticides, advanced pest monitoring, and other

integrated pest management practices. Since 2002, the initiative has funded

23 projects totaling $850,000 and helped implement reduced-risk pest

management strategies on over 500,000 acres of farmland and rangeland.

Encouraging Safer Alternatives to Pesticides

EPA Region 8, the Colorado Department of Public

Health and Environment, and the National Park

Service are implementing an innovative project to

address air quality issues and nitrogen deposition in

Rocky Mountain National Park. EPA’s involvement

has helped establish a consensus-based strategy to

evaluate and solve the problem. This includes

developing scientific data and building agreement

on levels of acceptable deposition and interim goals

to drive an adaptive management response.

Addressing Air Deposition in

Rocky Mountain National Park

Alpine wallflower in Rocky Mountain National Park.

EPA is working with partners to assess and respond

to nitrogen deposition in the Park. Water quality

changes, fewer tundra wildflowers and spruce tree

vulnerability to drought and insects are among the

impacts being studied.

EPA Region 8 continues to work with

schools in Indian Country to clean out

hazardous and toxic chemicals from

school laboratories, utility and storage

areas, and other sources. These include

laboratory chemicals, old paints, used oil,

pesticides and landscaping products and

other potentially hazardous substances.

Chemicals include corrosives,

flammables, and suspected and known

carcinogens like ammonium hydroxide,

hydrochloric and sulfuric acid, methanol,

hexane, mercury, formaldehyde, and

potentially toxic vapors like ammonia

and cyanide compounds.

To date, 50,000 pounds of

hazardous chemicals

have been removed and

safely disposed at 119

schools in Region 8.
Partnerships and Collaboration 9

In 2007, EPA, local officials, and DV Luxury Resort

kicked off the first “Environmentally Responsible

Redevelopment and Reuse” program project in the

nation in Park City, Utah. The project involves the

construction of a luxury hotel, spa and condominium

complex at the Daly West Mine Site. DV Luxury Resort

is contributing to the cleanup of contamination at the

former mine site and will incorporate extensive

sustainable features into the design, construction and

operation of the resort.

Specific features include a conservation easement for

2,800 acres of open space in Park City, the application of

energy and water-saving features in the resort’s design,

recycling of unused building materials, use of

sustainable exterior building materials, use of a

constructed wetland to treat runoff, the use of native

vegetation, the purchase of wind-generated power, the

implementation of indoor air quality performance

standards, and the use of chlorine alternatives for

disinfecting pools and spas.

Building a Green Luxury 

Resort in Park City

Cleaning Up Sick Buildings in Fort Totten

The Old Fort Totten

Hospital — one of

several contaminated

buildings targeted for

cleanup by the Spirit

Lake Tribe.

In 2006, EPA and partners launched the Salt Lake Valley Landfill Gas

Energy Project, a clean-energy effort that is bringing power to homes in

Utah. This project captures landfill gas from the Salt Lake Valley Solid

Waste Management Facility and uses it to power three reciprocating

engines that produce three megawas of clean power — enough

electricity to power over 2,500 homes in Murray City. EPA’s Landfill

Methane Outreach Partnership prevents emissions of methane, a

greenhouse gas, and develops clean power sources through landfill gas

energy projects. 

Harnessing Landfill Gas to Power 

Homes in Salt Lake City

2

EPA’s

agreement 

with DV Luxury

Resort has

secured a mine

site cleanup

and the

construction of 

a LEED-certified

Silver ski 

resort complex.

EPA continues to strengthen tribal sovereignty and improve

environmental protection by delegating key environmental

responsibilities to tribes. Since 2005, EPA has approved the Northern

Cheyenne (Wyoming) and Ute Mountain Ute (Colorado) applications for

Treatment in a Manner Similar to a State for purposes of establishing

water quality standards and issuing water quality certifications under the

Clean Water Act. In 2008, EPA proposed approval of the Fort Peck

(Montana) Tribes' Class II Underground Injection Control program, a step

that would give the tribe the responsibility for controlling underground

discharges from oil and gas operations. If approved later this year, Fort

Peck will be the first tribal government in the nation to implement its own

UIC program.

Advancing Environmental Protection

Through Tribal Delegations

In 2005, EPA provided the Spirit Lake Tribe with an $800,000 Brownfields

cleanup grant to target several hazardous buildings in Fort Toen, North

Dakota. These funds are being used to dispose of asbestos, lead-based paint,

and other sources of contamination at approximately 20 homes, the Old Fort

Toen Hospital, the Old Fort Toen Community Center and the Saint

Michaels Mission School. EPA’s Brownfields job training program resulted

in the successful hire of tribal graduates to conduct the specialized cleanup

work that is restoring these buildings for eventual reuse.

Members of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe

and the Tongue River. In 2006, the

Northern Cheyenne assumed responsibility

for setting and managing water quality

standards in Reservation waters. EPA

Region 8 encourages and assists Tribes in

developing the capacity to manage

environmental programs.
2

10 Partnerships and Collaboration

EPA supports water quality

protection by funding large,

multi-year watershed

projects throughout Region 8.

In recent years, EPA has

provided grants to

Colorado’s South Plae

River, Montana’s Clark 

Fork-Pend Orielle watershed,

and Utah’s Bear River and

Sevier River. 

In 2003, EPA awarded the Coalition for the Upper South Plae

River $600,000 to enhance fire recovery and restoration, protect

streams and wetlands, and promote volunteer cleanup efforts

following the Hayman Fire — one of the largest forest fires in

Western history. The grant has helped revegetate critical areas,

reduce runoff and erosion, and improve water quality and

fisheries throughout the watershed. These activities have also

protected a primary drinking water source and water treatment

facilities that serve hundreds of thousands of residents and

businesses in the Denver area. 

In 2005, EPA awarded $600,000 for water quality improvement

efforts in Utah’s Upper Sevier River watershed. This grant,

managed by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, is

reducing sediment and nutrient pollution and establishing a Blue

Ribbon trout fishery by restoring impacted river reaches and

encouraging the use of more efficient irrigation and grazing

practices. The ongoing project is improving stream channel

condition and restoring habitat in 24 miles of river.

Improving Watershed Health

More than 400 open dumps contribute to environmental and public

health issues on Region 8 Tribal lands. EPA Region 8 is addressing

this pressing issue by providing financial and technical resources to

build self-sustaining solid waste utilities. Recent successes have

been leveraged through solid waste circuit riders that help secure

waste management training, environmental assessments and

cleanup actions, and infrastructure and equipment – such as

collection trucks, dumpsters, roll-offs, recycling equipment and

garbage carts. 

In one recent example, EPA worked with the Indian Health Service,

the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Agency

and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to build a solid waste program at

the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota. The partnership

has successfully closed an open dump, built a waste transfer

station, constructed a landfill for construction and demolition

materials and cleaned up 20,000 tons of waste. 

Improving Solid Waste Management 

in Indian Country

EPA’s Energy Star program continues to help buildings and

facilities improve energy efficiency and reduce air pollutant

emissions throughout Region 8. As of 2007, more than 200

buildings representing 37 million square feet of floor space 

in Region 8 have earned the Energy Star for steps facility

managers have taken to reduce energy use through

improvements to lighting, building design features,

operational adjustments, HVAC efficiency, and other

measures. EPA’s Energy Star program has rated more 

than 3,000 buildings in the Region, providing a 

benchmark for facility managers investing in energy

efficiency improvements.

Saving Money and Preventing 

Air Pollution through ENERGY STAR

210 buildings

37 million square feet of floor space

$26 million in energy cost savings annually

704 million pounds of greenhouse gas 

emissions reduced annually

Region 8’s Energy Star-labeled buildings leverage

significant pollution reductions and cost savings.

EPA’s collaboration with the Indian Health Service and other federal

partners has led to improved solid waste management, including the

cleanup of dozens of hazardous open dumps, in reservations

throughout North and South Dakota. This $1.3M waste transfer

station was built at Spirit Lake in 2008.

A farmer takes a catch cup

sample to assess irrigation

needs and reduce runoff to

Utah’s Upper Sevier River.
3

Enforcement, Compliance Assistance, Environmental Justice Actions 11

SECTION

Utah’s picturesque and

ecologically rich Uinta Basin 

is benefiting from recently

negotiated controls at gas

operations in Utah and

Colorado.

Reducing Emissions at Colorado and Utah Natural Gas Facilities

In 2007, EPA and the Department of Justice reached a precedentseing Clean Air Act selement with Kerr-McGee Corporation to

reduce harmful emissions and conserve natural gas at production

facilities across Utah and Colorado. Kerr-McGee will spend $18

million on control measures and operational improvements that

are expected to reduce annual emissions of air pollutants by more

than 5,500 tons per year. The agreement also required the

company to pay a $200,000 penalty and spend $250,000 on a

project to reduce dust emissions from company service roads in

Utah and an effort to retire polluting cars and trucks in the

Denver area. 

The total expected annual emission reductions from the pollution

controls and environmental projects include 1,750 tons of nitrogen

oxides, 1,156 tons of carbon monoxide, 686 tons of sulfur dioxide,

and 2,195 tons of volatile organic compounds. The action will

save enough natural gas to heat 7,200 homes per year and reduce

the impact on climate change equivalent to the planting of more

than 60,000 trees. The efficiencies achieved by these controls will

also bring more gas to market. Kerr-McGee’s fields will return an

estimated 456 million standard cubic feet of natural gas to the

marketplace in the first year following implementation of

pollution control measures.

Enforcement, Compliance Assistance, 

Environmental Justice Actions

EPA enforcement actions ensure compliance with federal laws and improve environmental quality. Over

the past eight years, EPA Region 8 actions have prevented hundreds of millions of pounds of pollutants

from reaching our land, air and water and secured millions of dollars in pollution control investments. In

2007 alone, Region 8 actions led to more than 28 million pounds of pollutant reductions, cleaned up

nearly 100 million cubic yards of contaminated soil and water, and compelled regulated parties to spend

$20 million in control and cleanup activities. 

©2003 Summitcheese
3

12 Enforcement, Compliance Assistance, Environmental Justice Actions

Over the past several years, EPA has conducted a series of Clean Water Act

wetlands enforcement actions in the Gallatin River watershed in Montana. In

August 2004, the Yellowstone Mountain Club, a residential and recreational

development near Big Sky, was fined $1.8 million by EPA for 60 unpermied

construction activities, the largest ever in a wetlands case. Violations consisted of

dumping fill or dredged mud into federally protected wetlands and streams in

the Gallatin River, causing serious erosion and deep gullies. The selement also

required wetland restoration and mitigation projects covering 6.5 acres.

In 2005, EPA reached a selement with the Lone Moose Meadows development

that included a $165,000 penalty and restoration work aer the developers

destroyed wetlands while building a ski-in/ski-out village. Dredged fill mud 

was discharged into wetlands near the Gallatin River, culverts and a sewer line

were installed in wetlands, and two bridges were built across the river — all

without permits. 

Protecting Wetlands in NW Montana

In April 2003, EPA reached an agreement with

Rocky Mountain Steel Mills to invest $25

million to modernize its Pueblo, Colo., facility

and pay a $450,000 penalty. The mill installed

upgrades and pollution control equipment

which have cut air pollution by approximately

50 percent. More than 750 tons of carbon

monoxide, 200 tons of sulfur dioxide and 130

tons of nitrogen oxide emissions have been

reduced annually. Annual reductions of

particulate maer emissions are about 100

tons, including 800 pounds of lead. The

company has since spent another $435,000 on

community projects focused on addressing

lead risks in homes, providing outreach on

asthma and other childrens health issues.

Cutting Pollution at

Rocky Mountain Steel

Mills, Pueblo, Colorado

Pollution reductions at RMSM Carbon monoxide 750 tons Sulfur dioxide 200 tons Nitrogen oxide 130 tons Particulates 100 tons

The Gallatin River.

Wetlands play an

important role in the

watershed by providing

wildlife habitat,

absorbing flood runoff,

filtering pollution and

protecting downstream

riparian areas.

In 2003, EPA issued administrative complaints against five

Colorado growers for violations of the Federal Insecticide,

Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Worker Protection Standard

(WPS), a regulation that requires actions that reduce the risk of

pesticide poisonings and injuries to agricultural workers and

pesticide handlers. The complaints included more than 220

violations at Colorado’s David Petrocco Farms and proposed the

largest federal WPS misuse penalty in EPA history. In 2005, a

judge issued a decision against Petrocco representing an

important precedent and deterrent against future WPS violations.

Protecting Agricultural Workers in Colorado
3

Enforcement, Compliance Assistance, Environmental Justice Actions 13

Region 8 has implemented targeted efforts to improve human

health conditions in environmental justice communities. The

EJ program has developed several effective partnerships

focused on drinking water, exposure to lead and toxics, air

quality and other issues. 

In 2006, EPA’s San Luis Valley Drinking Water Well project

provided free sampling and analysis of drinking water from

private household wells in an agricultural area in southern

Colorado. About 30% of San Luis Valley area residents obtain

their water from these household wells and are not served by

regulated public water systems, making them more at risk for

drinking water-related health issues. 

EPA’s initial testing in the San Luis Valley revealed that nearly

1/3 of household wells were positive for bacteria. Other

contaminants detected included arsenic, uranium, fluoride,

nitrates and lead. Participants with positive bacteria test

results were shown how to apply a simple shock-chlorination

technique to make their drinking water safe. Residents were

also given information on point-of-use treatment systems, such

as reverse osmosis, that remove other potential contaminants.

Improving Human Health in Environmental Justice Communities

In 2007, EPA and the State of Utah reached a $197 million

selement with Kenneco Utah Copper Corp. to clean up

an aquifer contaminated by mining activities at the

mammoth, open-pit Bingham Canyon Mine. The

agreement requires Kenneco to treat a 20-square mile

groundwater plume contaminated with high

concentrations of sulfates and metals. Under the

agreement, the company must extract and monitor

groundwater to reduce pollution levels and prevent the

plume from moving. The company will also prevent

recontamination by intercepting and containing source

area waters and maintaining a system to prevent leaks 

into the aquifer.

Cleaning up Groundwater at Utah’s Bingham Canyon Mine

The Bingham

Canyon mine,

one of the

largest 

man-made

excavations on

earth, has

produced nearly

20 million tons of

copper and

other metals

since 1903.

EPA’s mobile lab

provides drinking

water information and

test kits in the largely

Hispanic San Luis

Valley. Of 400

households

participating, more

than 70% have taken

steps to treat their

drinking water.
3

14 Enforcement, Compliance Assistance, Environmental Justice Actions

EPA Region 8 has reached several significant Clean Air Act

selements with power plants that reduce emissions and secure

environmentally beneficial projects. In 2006, EPA concluded a

selement with Minnkota Power and Square Bue Electric to

control pollution at the M.R. Young Station – a power plant that

ranked second in the nation for nitrogen oxide pollutants. The

agreement, the first New Source Review selement with power

utilities in the western United States, is reducing sulfur dioxide

emissions by 23,000 tons per year and nitrogen oxide emissions

by nearly 10,000 tons per year. Pollution control measures at the

plant cost $100 million and the utilities are also providing 

$5 million for renewable energy projects.

Reducing Pollution from Power Plants

The M.R. Young

Power Station in

North Dakota has

spent $100 million

on controls that

are reducing air

emissions by

more than 33,000

tons per year.

Since 2001, EPA Region 8 has reviewed more than 1,000 federal actions under the National Environmental

Policy Act. These reviews ensure the disclosure and mitigation of significant environmental impacts

associated with energy development, water diversions and reservoirs, forest management activities,

highways and roads, and other federal projects with the potential to impact the environment.

BY THE NUMBERS Securing Environmental Results under NEPA

60

70

26

15

2007

171 total

NEPA-related actions

15

37

37

25

2006

132 total

NEPA-related actions

25

63

30

14

2005

132 total

NEPA-related actions

64

81

41

40

2004

226 total

NEPA-related actions

34

79

30

13

2003

156 total

NEPA-related actions

27

93

27

16

2002

163 total

NEPA-related actions

ENERGY FEDERAL LANDS TRANSPORTATION WATER

EPA Region 8 has initiated several successful efforts to increase

compliance with federal environmental laws and protect human

and environmental health. This compliance assistance includes

visits, phone calls, workshops and wrien materials that provide

detailed guidance to thousands of regulated entities each year. In

2007 alone, half of the 4,888 regulated entities provided assistance

took some steps to improve compliance. Highlights over the past

several years include a 2003 effort to reach more than 6,000

regulated entities with information on Clean Water Act oil

pollution compliance. In 2004, the Region implemented

integrated strategies for the Auto Service and Local Government

sector areas. More recent activities have focused on Tribal

Schools and Clean Water Act stormwater regulations.

Providing Compliance Assistance to Governments and Businesses
3

Enforcement, Compliance Assistance, Environmental Justice Actions 15

A New Highway and Nature Preserve Near Salt Lake City

In 2005, EPA’s review of the Jonah Infill gas

development project in central Wyoming led to

mitigation measures to protect air quality in a pristine

wilderness area just north of the gas field. EPA

worked closely with BLM and the Wyoming

Department of Environmental Quality to develop a

strategy to reduce projected pollution emissions by

80% and minimize visibility impacts in the Class I

Bridger Wilderness. These measures include pacing

gas development over time and reducing emissions

from diesel-powered drilling rigs.

Reducing Emissions in Wyoming’s Jonah Gas Field

EPA helped

identify an

environmentally

preferable

alternative for the

Legacy Parkway

that protected 900

acres of wetlands

and created a

nature preserve.

EPA’s review of

the Jonah Infill

gas project led to

measures to

protect air quality

in the community

of Pinedale and

the Bridger

Wilderness.

In 2001, the Federal Highway Administration and the Utah

Division of Transportation developed an Environmental Impact

Statement for a proposed highway near Salt Lake City. Though

designed to alleviate congestion along the growing Wasatch Front,

the original proposal presented major impacts to ecologically

valuable wetlands adjacent to the Great Salt Lake. EPA’s

involvement led to a 2005 decision to route the highway in a way

that minimized impacts to wetlands and created a 2,100-acre

preserve. This area is now preserved in perpetuity, and the

highway is scheduled to open in the fall of 2008.

Reducing Resource Use and Protecting Habitat in St. George, Utah

EPA’s review of the Southern Corridor Highway project in St.

George, Utah, led to measures that significantly reduced

environmental impacts associated with the highway and related

developments. EPA worked with the Federal Highway

Administration and the Utah Department of Transportation to

secure funding for a grant that helped plan a 26-acre mixed-use

site adjacent to the new highway and the local airport. Results

include a savings in water use, infrastructure costs, and energy,

and the creation of open space. The plan also helped preserve

habitat for several plants and animals, including two 

endangered plants.