Environment notebook

EPA to help state remove asbestos

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will work with Arkansas entities to remove asbestos from an environmental hazard site near a school in Norphlet, according to a news release from the agency.

The abandoned MacMillan Ring Free Oil refinery in Union County had high levels of friable asbestos, or asbestos that easily crumbles and releases fibers into the air, in the boiler building and the soils on the ground outside of it when the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and the Arkansas Department of Health inspected the refinery in June.

Norphlet Middle School is west of the property, and it and its recreational facilities are within 500 feet of some of the asbestos contamination, according to the EPA.

The refinery was abandoned in 1991.

It became a Superfund site in 2014, which means it's a national priority site for cleanup funds. The EPA is doing a feasibility study on cleanup actions.

Proposal targets endangered fish

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a final recovery plan for the yellowcheek darter fish in north-central Arkansas.

The service listed the fish as endangered in 2011, and it can be found only in the four forks of the Little Red River separated by Greers Ferry Lake. It's threatened by climate change and nearby land uses, such as mining and improper timber harvests, according to the plan issued this month.

The plan states that the fish will recover by reducing those threats, encouraging voluntary soil and water conservation practices within the Little Red River's watershed, and captive breeding, among other things.

Estimated costs of the entire recovery plan are at least $45,320,000 over 30 years, according to the service, but most individual actions cost only $50,000 to $75,000 over five-year periods. The multimillion-dollar projects will protect "the habitat integrity and quality of stream reaches" for the yellowcheek darter, the plan says.

More information about the recovery plan can be found at https://bit.ly/2mlEpUx.

Recycling district asks for feedback

The Regional Recycling and Waste Reduction District in Pulaski County is asking county residents to take part in a multiple-choice survey about their recycling habits and opinions.

The poll, which can be accessed at RecyclingPoll.com, asks people 23 questions on topics such as why they recycle, what they recycle the most, their opinions on recycling services or for what they'd be willing to pay extra fees.

The survey is geared toward customers with curbside recycling services that the district manages with contractor Waste Management in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Sherwood and the unincorporated areas of Pulaski County. Apartment dwellers and residents of other communities can also participate.

Agency accused of mussel apathy

The Center for Biological Diversity has sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, claiming it has not protected critical habitat for four endangered species of freshwater mussels in 18 states, including Arkansas.

The center argues the service has not protected the rayed bean, sheepnose, snuffbox and spectaclecase mussels because it has not designated "critical habitat" areas since they were declared endangered in 2010 and 2012.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., says such designations were required to occur within one year of endangered species listing.

The snuffbox mussel is found in Arkansas, 13 other states and Ontario, Canada. The spectaclecase mussel is found in Arkansas and 13 other states.

Metro on 07/15/2018

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