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January—February 2020 Newsletter

January—February 2020

Snowcapped Mountain PeakServing Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, 148 Tribal Nations

A New Regional Administrator

EPA Region 9 Administrator John BusterudRegional Administrator John Busterud spoke at an all-hands meeting during his first week at EPA.John Busterud was appointed Regional Administrator of EPA’s Pacific Southwest region in February. Mr. Busterud has over 30 years of experience as an environmental and energy attorney. He is also a retired U.S. Army Colonel with multiple Combined, Joint and Interagency assignments, including active duty deployments in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and Combined Forces Command on the Korean Peninsula.


Investing in Water Infrastructure

Tomás Torres (sitting, left) shaking hands with John Powell Jr., President of the Board, Coachella Valley Water District.EPA’s Pacific Southwest Regional Water Division Director, Tomás Torres (sitting, left), shakes hands with John Powell Jr., President of the Board, Coachella Valley Water District.EPA recently announced a $59 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan to the Coachella Valley Water District to help finance stormwater channel improvements that will better manage heavy rains to protect communities’ surface waters and public health.


Cleaner Trucks for Arizona

Officials standing in front of fire trucksPhoenix Mayor Kate Gallego (center) and other officials at the Cleaner Trucks Initiative event in Arizona.In January, at an event with Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, EPA, state and local officials, along with the American Trucking Association, announced steps to advance the national Cleaner Trucks Initiative (CTI) in Arizona. The CTI aims to establish, through rulemaking, more stringent emissions standards to reduce nitrogen oxide and other pollutants from heavy-duty truck engines.

Enforcement Update

Protecting Clean Air

EPA, the Department of Justice, and the state of California have reached a settlement with Kohler Co. resolving alleged violations of the Clean Air Act and California law. Under the terms of the settlement, Kohler will retire unlawfully generated hydrocarbon and nitrogen emission credits. Retirement of these credits will result in approximately 3,600 tons of emissions reductions.