Air Quality Monitoring | Water Quality Monitoring

Release date: 02/08/2011

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today submitted its draft study plan on hydraulic fracturing for review to the agency’s Science Advisory Board (SAB), a group of independent scientists. Natural gas plays a key role in our nation’s clean energy future and the process known as hydraulic fracturing is one way of accessing that vital resource. EPA scientists, under this administration and at the direction of Congress, are undertaking a study of this practice to better understand any potential impacts it may have, including on groundwater. EPA announced its intention to conduct the study in March 2010 and use the best available science, independent sources of information, a transparent, peer-reviewed process and with consultation from others. Since then, EPA has held a series of public meetings across the country with thousands attending and the agency has developed a sound draft plan for moving forward with the study.

The scope of the proposed research includes the full lifespan of water in hydraulic fracturing, from acquisition of the water, through the mixing of chemicals and actual fracturing, to the post-fracturing stage, including the management of flowback and produced or used water and its ultimate treatment and disposal.

The SAB plans to review the draft plan March 7-8, 2011. Consistent with the operating procedures of the SAB, stakeholders and the public will have an opportunity to provide comments to the SAB during their review. The agency will revise the study plan in response to the SAB’s comments and promptly begin the study. Initial research results and study findings are expected to be made public by the end of 2012, with the goal of an additional report following further research in 2014.

Hydraulic fracturing is a process in which large volumes of water, sand and chemicals are injected at high pressures to extract oil and natural gas from underground rock formations. The process creates fractures in formations such as shale rock, allowing natural gas or oil to escape into the well and be recovered. Over the past few years, the use of hydraulic fracturing for gas extraction has increased and has expanded over a wider diversity of geographic regions and geologic formations.

For a copy of the draft study plan and additional information: http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/02ad90b136fc21ef85256eba00436459/d3483ab445ae61418525775900603e79!OpenDocument&TableRow=2.1#2

More information on hydraulic fracturing:www.epa.gov/hydraulicfracturing

Source: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/48f0fa7dd51f9e9885257359003f5342/26195e235a35cb3885257831005fd9cd!OpenDocument

Contact Information: Jalil Isa (News Media Only), isa.jalil@epa.gov, 202-564-3226, 202-564-4355

Release date: 05/03/2011

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold three public hearings in May on the proposed mercury and air toxics standards. The new power plant mercury and air toxics standards would require many power plants to install widely available, proven pollution control technologies to cut harmful emissions of mercury, arsenic, chromium, nickel and acid gases, while preventing as many as 17,000 premature deaths and 11,000 heart attacks a year.

WHAT: Public hearings on proposed mercury and air toxics standards

WHEN: May 24 and 26, 2011

Each hearing will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 8 p.m. (local time)

WHERE:   May 24: Chicago, Ill.

WHERE:    May 24: Philadelphia, Pa.

WHERE:    May 26: Atlanta, Ga.

The public may register to speak at a specific time at a hearing by contacting Pamela Garrett at 919-541-7966 or garrett.pamela@epa.gov or registering in person on the day of a hearing. EPA also will accept written comments on the proposed standards until July 5, 2011. EPA will finalize the rule by November 2011.

More information on the hearings and instructions for submitting written comments: http://www.epa.gov/airquality/powerplanttoxics/

Contact Information: Enesta Jones (News Media Only), jones.enesta@epa.gov, 202-564-7873, 202-564-4355

Source:  http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/1e5ab1124055f3b28525781f0042ed40/0f4f17d4227d450b852578850058b34d!OpenDocument

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has a certification program for specific “analyze immediately” parameters required while sampling groundwater and surface water in New Jersey. The governing regulation for this program is N.J.A.C. 7:18.

Pine Environmental Services, LLC. is proud to announce that we are now a New Jersey Certified Laboratory (New Jersey Certified Lab ID# 11034) for “Field Parameters” including pH, specific conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity.

This is of significance to those companies or individuals that collect ground water samples in New Jersey based on Low Flow sampling procedures (field parameter stabilization). It is important to remember that the end user must also be a New Jersey Certified Laboratory per N.J.A.C. 7:18, but with Pine Environmental Services, LLC. gaining accreditation, we can significantly reduce the end users time and money invested into the “Pre-Field” calibration requirements.

Essentially, the end user is required to perform “Pre Field” calibration requirements and “Field” calibration requirements. By Pine becoming a certified laboratory, our New Jersey customers can save time and materials cost by having Pine perform the “Pre-Field” calibrations. These are at most time consuming and expensive calibrations for preparation of the field instrument.

Upon request, Pine will calibrate an instrument, identified by Pine ID # and Serial #, in compliance with N.J.A.C. 7:18 and in accordance with the manufacturer calibration procedures. There is a service charge of $50 per unit/calibration that requires the “Pre-Field” calibration requirements.

The appurtenant documentation will be included with the instrument and should be saved by the end-user. Pine then delivers the calibrated instrument with calibration solutions included as part of the calibration package. Pine also includes the associated Certificates of Analysis (COAs) for each instrument.

The end user is responsible for meeting the daily “Field Calibrations” as required by N.J.A.C. 7:18. Below is a brief description of what the “Pre-Field” calibration requirements and “Field” calibration requirements entail (these requirements are based on the SOPs under which the “laboratory” is certified for and can be slightly different from one lab to the next).

New Jersey “Pre-Field” Requirements

The regulations indicate that specific procedures be performed by a New Jersey Certified Laboratory prior to field use (“Pre-Field requirements). Specifically this includes the following requirements and time estimates associated with performing this task:

• Winkler DO Titration (0.5 Hours)
• Cell Constant Calculation (0.25 Hours)
• 5-Point Conductivity Curve (0.25 Hours)
• NIST Traceable Thermometer Check/Calibration (0.25 Hours)
• 2nd Source Turbidity Check (0.25 hours)
• Solution Records and Documentation (COAs) (0.5 hours)
• Full Manufacturer Manual Calibration (NOT “Autocal”) (0.75 Hours)

Total time associated with performing these tasks is approximately 3 hours and does not factor in the cost for solutions and materials, or troubleshooting/repairing equipment that is not passing the calibration methods.

Field Requirements (End-User Requirements)

Once the instrumentation has been provided to the customer by Pine Environmental Services, LLC. (a Certified Laboratory having performed and documented the” Pre-Field” calibration requirements), it is then the responsibility of the end user to perform and document “Field” calibration requirements” as listed below:

• 2-Point pH Calibration (Pine will provide pH 4 and pH 10 for this);
• 1-Point pH Bump/Check once every three hours after Initial 2-Point Calibration (Pine will provide ph 7 for this step);
• 1-Point Specific Conductivity Check (Pine will provide 1413 uS/cm for this);
• 1-Point Turbidity Check (Pine will provide 100 NTU for Horibas, 123/126 NTU for YSIs, and 1 NTU and 10 NTUs for LaMotte and Hach Turbidity Meters).
• Pine includes the Certificates of Analysis for each solution that accompanies the rental instrument.
• Maintain the Pine “pre-field” records with your “field” records for NJDEP – OQA Audits.

So what does this change for Pine’s New Jersey customers?

There is the potential for significant time and cost savings associated with using Pine Environmental Services, LLC. to perform the labor intensive “Pre-Field” calibration. Pine performs “Pre-Field” calibrations and provides our customers with associated required documentation.

This eliminates a significant portion of the labor and consumable costs for our customers. The pre-field calibrations have acceptance criteria that are good for approximately a one week maximum (based on the Winkler Dissolved Oxygen calibration). Therefore, “Pre-Field” Calibrations will last one week and we can perform continued certification for instruments at the end of this term, and get a fresh instrument back into our customers possession for continued use.

Not only can we provide the “Pre Field” certified equipment but we can also provide “Field” calibration materials (reagents and solutions) for the “Field” calibration requirements often at no additional costs (we provide solutions to our customers to perform at least one daily field calibration).

We can provide long term rentals for instruments and help perform and maintain your “Pre-Field” calibration requirements. Pine can also perform the calibration procedures for meters our customers already own for a nominal fee.

We encourage our customers working on New Jersey projects to discuss these options to optimize your field time and become more efficient with meeting this important State requirement. Any questions regarding the Pine New Jersey Laboratory Certification, please contact:

John Iannotti – jiannotti@pine-envirnomental.com – Pine Environmental Services, LLC. – Laboratory Manager and Outside Salesman – (609) 712-6039

Release date: 01/28/2011

Contact Information: Richard Yost, 202-564-7827, 202-564-4355, yost.richard@epa.gov

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it will accept public input on whether to include vapor intrusion threats as a component for including hazardous waste sites on the National Priorities List of Superfund sites. Superfund sites are the most polluted, complex, uncontrolled or abandoned sites in the United States and are eligible for federal cleanup funding to protect the people’s health.

Vapor intrusion describes the migration of volatile chemicals from contaminated groundwater or soil into the atmosphere, and is a particular concern if vapors enter an overlying building.

EPA is accepting public feedback on specific topics related to the potential revisions to the Hazard Ranking System (HRS), which is used to evaluate sites for the Superfund list, for 75 days. The agency will consider information gathered during the comment period, as well as input from three public listening sessions before making a decision on whether to issue a proposed rulemaking to add a vapor intrusion component to the HRS.

EPA will host its first public listening session at its Arlington, Va. office on February 24, 2011. Two additional listening sessions will be held in San Francisco, Calif. and Albuquerque, N.M. EPA will post dates, times and addresses for the listening sessions on its Superfund webpage.

More information on EPA listening sessions and the potential change to the HRS: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/hrsaddition.htm

More information on vapor intrusion: http://www.epa.gov/oswer/vaporintrusion/

More information on the HRS: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/npl_hrs/hrsint.htm

Source: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/9eba9aa5d1f9d2b8852578260059976a!OpenDocument

Release date: 12/10/2010

Contact Information: Richard Yost, yost.richard@epa.gov, 202-564-7827, 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON – As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) marks the accomplishments of the Superfund program during the past 30 years, it is also taking steps to make the program stronger and more efficient to address the evolving challenges of cleaning up hazardous waste sites. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund) was signed into law on December 11, 1980 and was created to address the most polluted, complex, uncontrolled or abandoned sites in the United States.

“Superfund has protected thousands of communities by cleaning up hazardous waste sites in the United States and responding to thousands of chemical spills,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “While Superfund has clearly accomplished a great deal, we also recognize that the challenges facing the program today are different than those we faced 30 years ago. Through our new Integrated Cleanup Initiative we are implementing new practices to meet these evolving challenges.”

The goal of the Integrated Cleanup Initiative (ICI) is to accelerate cleanups of contaminated sites where possible, address a greater number of contaminated sites, and put the sites back into productive use while protecting human health and the environment. The initiative also seeks to provide communities with greater accountability and transparency on EPA’s land cleanup programs.

Since 1980, EPA has completed construction of cleanup remedies at 67.5 percent of final and deleted sites on the National Priorities List. The Superfund program has returned nearly 1.3 million acres of land to productive use and made more than 455,800 acres ready for anticipated use. Through $600 million in funding from the Recovery Act, the Superfund program has accelerated cleanups at 31 ongoing construction projects and started new construction projects at 26 sites.

More information on the accomplishments of the Superfund program and EPA’s other land cleanup programs: http://www.epa.gov/oswer/docs/oswer_eoy_2010.pdf

More information about the Superfund Program’s 30th Anniversary: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/30years/index.htm

Obama Administration Moves Long-Term Gulf Plan Forward / Mabus recovery plan focuses on funding, governance, involvement / EPA Administrator to lead ecosystem task force

Release date: 09/28/2010

Contact Information: Adora Andy (EPA), andy.adora@epa.gov, 202-527-5866 / Captain Beci Brenton (Navy), Beci.brenton@navy.mil, 703-697-7491

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration has put forward an aggressive restoration plan, including a call for dedicated funds, to help strengthen the gulf region’s environment, economy, and health following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The restoration plan, written by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, was submitted to the president today (09/28/2010). A key recommendation in the report is that Congress dedicates a significant amount of any civil penalties obtained from parties responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill into a Gulf Coast Recovery Fund to go toward addressing long-term recovery and restoration efforts in the gulf. The president has decided to follow this recommendation, and congressional action is critical to the overall effort.

“I am honored to have been asked by the president to put together this plan, and am pleased to present him a plan which meets the goals he set in June. The plan is the result of listening to the people of the gulf coast. It balances the needs of the people, the environment and the economic livelihood of the region,” Secretary Mabus stated.

To manage the funds and to coordinate recovery projects, the Mabus report recommends that Congress authorize a Gulf Coast Recovery Council. As designed, the recovery council would include representatives from the states and federally recognized gulf tribes. The recovery council would work to ensure that local governments and citizen stakeholders also play a critical role.

The president will not let the recovery process wait until Congress acts to approve the recovery council. He soon will sign an executive order to establish the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. A bridge to the recovery council, this intergovernmental advisory body will coordinate restoration programs and projects in the gulf region. It will focus on efforts to create more resilient and healthy gulf coast ecosystems, while also encouraging support for economic recovery and long-term health issues. Given her extensive environmental experience, ability to work successfully with stakeholders, and roots in the gulf coast region, the president has named Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson to serve as task force chair.

“President Obama has said many times that our commitment to the families and environment in the gulf extends far beyond capping the well. We’re sending that message loud and clear today: our work is not complete until the people and the environment they rely on are on the path to restoration and recovery,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “I’m proud to take on leadership of this task force. As someone charged with protecting health and the environment, and as someone who grew up as part of the gulf coast community, I welcome the opportunity to make a difference for the people here.”

The task force will be expected to coordinate with the Department of Health and Human Services on public health issues and with the Department of Commerce and other federal departments and agencies, as appropriate, on ways to improve the economic impact of ecosystem restoration.

The Mabus report recommends continued support for individuals, families, and businesses to help them navigate the claims process, and to give assistance to communities to identify additional needs. It urges a media campaign – paid for by the oil spill’s responsible parties – to help restore public confidence in the seafood industry and promote tourism in the area. The report examines ways that the gulf can take advantage of opportunities in emerging industries. The report also identifies critical needs for health and human services across the region and recommends continued engagement with the nonprofit sector.

In June, as the urgent oil spill response efforts were still underway, President Obama tapped Secretary Mabus, a former governor of Mississippi and a son of the gulf, to develop the framework for long-term recovery. The president was clear that he wanted the plan to come from the gulf, and not be imposed from Washington, D.C. on the gulf. Mabus spent countless hours hearing from thousands of local residents, businesses, and elected officials to create the foundation for this report.

Full report to the president: http://www.restorethegulf.gov/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/gulf-recovery-sep-2010.pdf

Source: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/fe2047f24675eadb852577ac006b9905!OpenDocument

EPA Adds Seven Hazardous Waste Sites to Superfund’s National Priorities List/Actions to help clean up and revitalize local communities

Release date: 09/27/2010

Contact Information: Latisha Petteway petteway.latisha@epa.gov 202-564-3191 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is adding seven new hazardous waste sites that pose risks to human health and the environment to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites. Superfund is the federal program that investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country.

To date, there have been 1,627 sites listed on the NPL. Of these sites, 345 sites have been deleted resulting in 1,282 sites currently on the NPL (including the seven new sites added in today’s rulemaking). There are 61 proposed sites awaiting final agency action: 56 in the general Superfund section and five in the federal facilities section. There are a total of 1,343 final and proposed sites.

Contaminants found at the sites include arsenic, asbestos, barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, dichloroethene (DCE), lead, mercury, polynuclear aromatic hydrcarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethane (TCA), trichloroethene (TCE), vinyl chloride, and zinc.

With all Superfund sites, EPA tries to identify and locate the parties potentially responsible for the contamination to either fund the cleanup or conduct the cleanup with EPA oversight. For the newly listed sites without viable potentially responsible parties, EPA will fund the cleanup. Each Superfund site is investigated to determine the full extent of the contamination before cleanup is started. Therefore, it may be several years before significant cleanup funding is required for the sites.

Contaminated sites may be placed on the list through various mechanisms:

• Numeric ranking established by EPA’s Hazard Ranking System
• Designation by states or territories of one top-priority site
• Meeting all three of the following requirements:

1. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a health advisory that recommends removing people from the site;
2. EPA determines the site poses a significant threat to public health; and
3. EPA anticipates it will be more cost-effective to use its remedial authority than to use its emergency removal authority to respond to the site.

For Federal Register notices and supporting documents for these final and proposed sites: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/newfin.htm

The following seven sites have been added to the National Priorities List:

1. Black River PCBs, Jefferson County, N.Y.
2. Newtown Creek, Brooklyn/Queens, N.Y.
3. General Dynamics Longwood, Longwood, Fla.
4. Sanford Dry Cleaners, Sanford, Fla.
5. Smokey Mountain Smelters, Knox County, Tenn.
6. Ten Mile Drain, St. Clair Shores, Mich.
7. Vienna Wells, Vienna, Mo.

Source:  http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/652d9edd5cf71a2585257359003f5343/055f10a49c71fd32852577ab0055bcd3!OpenDocument

Administrator Jackson Announces $2 Million in Brownfields Job Training Funds to Clean up Our Communities

Release date: 04/10/2010

Contact Information: Latisha Petteway, petteway.latisha@epa.gov, 202-564-3191, 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON – Today in New Orleans, La., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced that EPA is awarding more than $2 million in job training grants for environmental cleanups in communities across the country. The agency’s Brownfields Job Training Program helps train people for jobs in the assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields properties, including abandoned gas stations, old textile mills, closed smelters, and other abandoned industrial and commercial properties. These investments target under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods – places where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed.

“By recruiting, training and employing local residents to clean up the community, we get the best of both worlds: new jobs and a cleaner community,” said EPA Administrator Jackson. “Transforming abandoned and contaminated sites sets the stage for bustling business centers, new parks and other developments. It shows that the right thing to do for the environment is the right thing to do for the economy.”

Twelve governmental entities and non-profit organizations in 10 states are receiving up to $200,000 each to train people in the cleanup of these abandoned and possibly polluted properties, while also providing training in other environmental skills, such as green building design, energy efficiency, weatherization, solar installation, green construction, and native plant revegetation. In New Orleans, Administrator Jackson presented the award to Limitless Vistas, Inc., a training program that teaches inner-city youth job skills in environmental assessment and improvement, as well as the value of community service. Graduates are placed in environmental work-related jobs and their success is tracked for one year. Cleaning up our communities is one of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s priorities, leading not only to health and environmental benefits but also economic development.

The brownfields job training grants will help recruit, train, and employ residents living near brownfields sites in California, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Washington.

Since 1998, EPA has awarded more than $33 million in brownfields job training funds. The program prepares workers for employment in the new green economy, and ensures that the economic benefits derived from brownfields redevelopment remain in the affected communities. As of February 2010, more than 5,300 individuals have been trained through the Brownfields Job Training Grant Program, and 3,400 have been placed in full-time employment in the environmental field with an average starting hourly wage of $14.65.

In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed. The brownfields law expanded the definition of what is considered a brownfield, so communities may now focus on mine-scarred lands, sites contaminated by petroleum, or sites contaminated as a result of the manufacturing and distribution of illegal drugs (e.g. meth labs). EPA’s Brownfields Program encourages redevelopment of America’s estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites.

As part of Administrator Jackson’s commitment to this program, the 2011 proposed budget includes an increase of $215 million for brownfields with increases for planning, cleanup, job training and redevelopment.

More information on brownfields job training grants: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/job.htm

More information on EPA’s Brownfields Program: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

Brownfields success stories: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success/index.htm

Source:  http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/eb5a92beba8e2fe2852577000073169d!OpenDocument

Release date: 06/21/2010

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today sent a letter to Congress in support of reinstating the lapsed Superfund “polluter pays” taxes. Superfund is the federal government’s program that investigates and cleans up the nation’s most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites. If reinstated, the Superfund provision would provide a stable, dedicated source of revenue for the program and increase the pace of Superfund cleanup. It would also ensure that parties who benefit from the manufacture or sale of substances that commonly cause environmental problems at hazardous waste sites, and not taxpayers, help bear the cost of cleanup when responsible parties cannot be identified.

“Since the beginning of this administration we have made it clear that we support the reinstatement of the polluter pays system for the Superfund program,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “Our taxes should be paying for teachers, police officers and infrastructure that is essential for sustainable growth — not footing the bill for polluters. Today, we are formalizing our call to Congress to pass this important legislation and ensure responsible steps to keep our communities clean. In the meantime, EPA is taking action to better manage the Superfund program to increase cleanups and enhance transparency, accountability, and community input in agency decision-making.”

The Superfund taxes expired on December 31, 1995. Since the expiration of the taxes, Superfund program funding has been largely financed from General Revenue transfers to the Superfund Trust Fund, thus burdening the taxpayer with the costs of cleaning up abandoned hazardous waste sites. The administration is proposing to reinstate the taxes as they were last in effect on crude oil, imported petroleum products, hazardous chemicals, and imported substances that use hazardous chemicals as a feedstock, and on corporate modified alternative minimum taxable income. Under the administration’s proposal, the excise taxes and corporate environmental taxes would be reinstated for a period of 10 years beginning in January 2011.

Contact Information: Latisha Petteway, petteway.latisha@epa.gov, 202-564-3191, 202-564-4355

More information on the Superfund program: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/

Source:http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/6e61eb7ab20b163c8525774900592657!OpenDocument

Pine Environmental Services, LLC. (Pine) continues to support consultants and hazardous waste responders in the Gulf clean-up effort.  With 16 offices located in the United States and Canada, Pine has equipment and supplies at the ready for responders working in the gulf.  A wide variety of response contractors, workers, and scientists within the Gulf Region and around the U.S. are being called to action and Pine has been and will be there to support their needs.

Specifically, Pine is supplying air monitoring instruments that are designed for personal monitoring, such as PIDs with multi-gas detection capability, and area monitoring with wireless monitoring capability for long term monitoring and real time data reporting.  In addition to the air monitoring instruments, Pine supplies water quality monitoring instruments to measure  the effects the release is having on important water quality parameters such as dissolved oxygen, pH, oxygen reduction potential and others. 

Additionally, we are providing responders with the PPE that they need to continue performing their important clean up efforts.  We supply Tyvek and Tychem as well as respirators, gloves, and boots.  We stock oil absorbant materials such as oil sorbent booms, pads, and sweeps.  Please contact Pine at any one of our locations to discuss how we may be able to support your companies efforts in the Gulf.