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Media Contact: Dean Higuchi, 808-541-2711 , higuchi.dean@epa.gov
U.S. EPA, American Samoa
reach revised settlement with Starkist
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have reached a revised $6.5 million settlement with StarKist Co. and its subsidiary, Starkist Samoa Co., to resolve federal environmental violations at their tuna processing facility in American Samoa. In addition to the $6.3 million penalty announced in September, Starkist will pay $200,000 to address alleged Clean Water Act (CWA) violations found before the original consent decree was finalized by the court. The American Samoa government has also been added as a co-plaintiff in the revised action, formalizing its role as a partner in the implementation of the settlement. Under the agreement, Starkist will pay $2.6 million to American Samoa and $3.9 million to the United States. As specified in the original consent decree, the company will also provide $88,000 in emergency equipment to American Samoa for responses to chemical releases. “This revised agreement commits Starkist to addressing stormwater pollution, which will provide important protection for Pago Pago Harbor,” said Acting Regional Administrator Alexis Strauss with the EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. “Working with our valued partners at American Samoa EPA, we will monitor the company’s progress toward full compliance with this very significant settlement.” “Pago Pago Harbor is our greatest natural resource,” said American Samoa EPA Director Ameko Pato. “We are firmly committed to working with EPA and Starkist to ensure that this local treasure is protected for generations to come.” The additional violations included unauthorized stormwater discharges to Pago Pago Harbor from Starkist’s stormwater system. The revised consent decree requires Starkist to obtain authorization for its stormwater discharges and take steps to reduce and eliminate discharges to the harbor. After full implementation of the wastewater treatment system upgrades, the facility’s annual discharge of pollutants into Pago Pago Harbor, including total nitrogen, phosphorus, oil and grease, and total suspended solids, will be reduced by at least 85 percent – more than 13 million pounds. Starkist Samoa Co. owns and operates the tuna processing facility, located on Route 1 on the Island of Tutuila in American Samoa. Starkist Samoa Co. is a subsidiary of StarKist Co. which is owned by Korean company Dongwon Industries. StarKist Co. is the world’s largest supplier of canned tuna. Its American Samoa facility processes and cans tuna for human consumption and processes fish byproducts into fishmeal and fish oil. The proposed consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is subject to a 30-day comment period and final court approval. A copy of the proposed consent decree is available on the Justice Department Web site at https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees. A summary of the settlement will be available in Samoan on that website. For information on the original settlement, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/starkist-enhance-environmental-and-safety-measures-facility-american-samoa For more information on the agreement and on the statutes it covers, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/starkist-clean-water-act-clean-air-act-resource-conservation-and-recovery-and-emergency
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Tuesday, December 26, 2017
SITREP. Water Security. Starkist, U.S. EPA, American Samoa Settlement.
Friday, December 1, 2017
NASA 2018 Internship Opportunities.
NASA is currently accepting applications for Summer 2018
internships. See information below.
Important Dates:
* Application
Submission: Oct 18, 2017 - March 1, 2018
* Internship
Period: 10 weeks in Summer 2018
Important Resources:
* Application
website: https://intern.nasa.gov <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTcxMTMwLjgxNzM0MjIxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE3MTEzMC44MTczNDIyMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3OTE2ODg5JmVtYWlsaWQ9ZGFycnlsLm0uaGFydEBuYXZ5Lm1pbCZ1c2VyaWQ9ZGFycnlsLm0uaGFydEBuYXZ5Lm1pbCZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&100&&&https://intern.nasa.gov/?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=>
* Virtual
Career Summit video: http://bit.ly/2x9oZJp
<http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTcxMTMwLjgxNzM0MjIxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE3MTEzMC44MTczNDIyMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3OTE2ODg5JmVtYWlsaWQ9ZGFycnlsLm0uaGFydEBuYXZ5Lm1pbCZ1c2VyaWQ9ZGFycnlsLm0uaGFydEBuYXZ5Lm1pbCZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&101&&&http://bit.ly/2x9oZJp?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=>
NASA's live-streamed Virtual Career Summit held
Wednesday, September 27th is still available online for students interested in
internships, fellowships and scholarships at the space agency. The NASA
Internships, Fellowships and Scholarship program (NIFS) showcases some of its missions, programs,
interns and mentors. Students can learn about the current available internship,
fellowship and scholarship opportunities in the STEM (Sciences, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics) fields and others, and eligibility requirements,
tips for the application process and hear from previous NIFS awardees. The
virtual event engaged students and NASA professionals in a question and answer
session recorded during the event and also available online where you can
continue to ask questions.
Monday, November 20, 2017
Duplication of efforts. DHS OIG Issues Warning to FEMA Regarding Duplicate Public Assistance Funding
Were recovery efforts from previous disasters before 2017 started or completed?
How and what were the funds utilized for?
How and what were the funds utilized for?
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News
from the Department of Homeland Security OIG
Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. 
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EMR-ISAC InfoGram for November 16, 2017
Emergency Management and Response
Information Sharing and Analysis Center
(EMR-ISAC)
Emergency Management and Response
Information Sharing and Analysis Center
(EMR-ISAC)
The EMR-ISAC InfoGram for November 16, 2017 contains the following articles:
1. New National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin released
2. Preparing for and responding to chemical threats
3. NIMS tools for mutual aid, credentialing, inventory and resource typing
4. USFA webinarcontains the following articles:
1. New National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin released
2. Preparing for and responding to chemical threats
3. NIMS tools for mutual aid, credentialing, inventory and resource typing
4. USFA webinar
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Listen in Thursday, November 16, 2017 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., to ‘Art of Femininity’
Listen in Thursday, November 16, 2017 10:00
a.m. to 11:00 a.m., to ‘Art of Femininity’ and interview with Charles D. Sharp,
CEO Black Emergency Managers Association International.
Art
of Femininity Radio Show discusses current issues women face in today's society
ranging from home, health, hunger, business, dating, marriage, divorce, living
single and walking out our God-given purpose.
Listen in!
CDS
Host:
Ivonne Cameron
Guest:
Charles D. Sharp
CEO
BEMA International
Date\Time:
Thursday, November 16, 2017
10:00 AM ET to 11:00 AM ET
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Art
of Femininity, Hosted By Ivonne Cameron
Art
of Femininity Radio Show discusses current issues women face in today's
society ranging from home, health, hunger, business, dating, marriage,
divorce, living single and walking out our God-given purpose.
Art
of Femininity takes your questions and comments live as you sound off on what
matters to you.
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Monday, November 13, 2017
Invitation to MEMA's Whole Community Summit, Nov. 16, 2017, Clarksville, MD
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Subject: Invitation to MEMA's Whole Community Summit, Nov. 16,
2017, Clarksville, MD
MEMA (Maryland Emergency Management Agency) is hosting a whole
community summit, Piecing it Together: Building Partnerships
through Resilience, on Thursday, November 16th, 2017, at the:
Ten Oaks Ballroom and Conference Center
located at 5000 Signal Bell Lane
Clarksville, MD 21029.
Registration runs from 800am - 900am. The conference runs
from 900am to 400pm.
An exciting program has been prepared for you. You can view
the schedule, at: http://mema.maryland.gov/Pages/wholecommunitysummit.aspx
There will be speaker/presenters from the public sector,
the private sector and the volunteer communities... something for
everyone!!
If you have not registered, and plan to attend please register
at mema.maryland.gov/summit.
Or, on
Eventbrite, at
This will help us keep an accurate count of attendees. Light breakfast, and lunch, will be
provided.
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Thursday, November 9, 2017
You have access to: HOW AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS LEAD KIMBERLY FOGG DIRECTLY TO HER PURPOSE. November 2017
To our members within the
U.S, Caribbean, Africa, and throughout the diaspora you have access to Kimberly
to assist in you water security issues.
Within BEMA International Ms.
Kimberly Fogg is one of my key advisors on water security issues. We advocate for a systems approach to water security. An approach of both the internal and external
components of water security from the source, to the home, and for the
community. Water security is not just a
matter of digging a well, but considering the entire approach of from well to to community center,
to the home and for future usages.
21st Century solutions to 21st Century problems in
water and waste management for both components of water security.
Charles D. Sharp. CEO BEMA International.
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· NOVEMBER 9,
2017 BY MASHAUN SIMON
When Kimberly Fogg was a kid, her mother used to tell her
that she had special powers. “I always had this unexplainable way,” she told
MsXFactor. “I always had this, I don’t know…I did not grow up in a church and
I did not grow up knowing the Bible – but I had this connection.” While she
finds it difficult to describe the connection and its source, what she does
know is that while on safari in Tanzania more than seven years ago, the
connection became recognizable once again. “God began saying, ‘I want you to
help – no, I need you to help.” What was God asking her to do? Who was God
instructing her to help?
Following the death of her father, Fogg embarked upon the
voyage as a means of soul-searching. She recalls a defining moment during
dinner in Kenya. The waiter was focused on her – so much so that everyone at
the table took notice. “When he brought my food there was a strange light
shinning from behind him and when I looked, I saw his name tag.” The waiter’s
name was the same as her father’s, Alphonse – she knew in that moment that
her life would forever change. How would it change? She was not totally sure
until she came across a group of young children traveling to gather water.
She would quickly learn that the young people did not have
access to clean water, in their local area so they had to travel. The
problem, however, is that the trek was dangerous, which meant that some never
made it back home. If they did, the water they collected could be
contaminated which eventually made them ill – resulting in death as well. She
felt that she had to do something but at first she resisted.
“Initially I felt sorry as I saw these beautiful little
children traveling to collect water, but I was missing my beautiful house,”
she said.
She did not know the first thing about the process of
providing clean water in a foreign land. “As I pushed back, purpose
kept being placed in my face,” she remembers. “God kept saying, ‘I want you
to do this.’
Photo: Kimberly Fogg
Fogg was obedient to that call and today she heads Global Sustainable Partnerships,
a non-profit organization that provides access to clean and safe drinking
water to schools, households, health centers and hospitals in Tanzania. She
came across the technology, HydrAid
BioSand Filters, after returning to the states from her safari. “The
filters that I decided to use are manufactured in my hometown (Grand Rapids,
MI) just 10 minutes from my parents house,” she said. “I was talking to
someone who was doing work on my parents roof, telling him about what I had
experienced while on my safari, and he started telling me about these
filters.” And one of the two trainings each year just happened to be coming
up. “I never said okay,” Fogg reports matter-of-factly.
“I just started following the bread crumbs.
READ MORE AT: https://msxfactor.com/how-an-existential-crisis-lead-this-social-entrepreneur-directly-to-her-purpose/
Become a partner in Global
Sustainable Partnership for Water Security:
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Tuesday, November 7, 2017
FEMA Grants .....Assistance and information Resources
Release of NIMS Resource Management Supplemental Guidance and Tools. November 2017
NIMS Resource Management Tools
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Release of NIMS Resource
Management Supplemental Guidance and Tools
FEMA’s National Integration Center is pleased to
release a series of National Incident Management System (NIMS) Resource
Management component documents that enhance interoperability and the
effectiveness of mutual aid.
Today’s release includes:
To support partner and stakeholder adoption, FEMA is
hosting a series of 60-minute webinars to discuss the National Qualification
System and answer questions related to the foundational guide and supporting
tools. All webinars are open to the whole community, including individuals
and communities, the private and nonprofit sectors, faith-based
organizations, and all state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.
To review the documents and for additional
webinar information, visit: www.fema.gov/national-qualification-system.
To review the NIMS Job Titles/Position
Qualifications and Resource Typing Definitions other than those in NQS, go
to: https://rtlt.preptoolkit.fema.gov/Public.
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Private Sector Advisory The U.S. Virgin Islands Qualifies to Receive Up to $371 Million in Community Disaster Loans November 7, 2017
-Loans
over grants? Wait for the grant. What about 2018 Hurricane Season?
Will you be able to pay off any existing
loans by the 2018 Season?
VIRGIN ISLANDS APPROVED FOR COMMUNITY LOANS…..
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Federal
Emergency Management Agency
Private Sector Division/ National Business Emergency Operations Center FEMA-Private-Sector@fema.dhs.gov
Private Sector Advisory
The U.S. Virgin Islands
Qualifies to Receive Up to $371 Million in Community Disaster Loans
November 7, 2017
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today the provision of
additional resources and services to support ongoing operational needs for
the U.S. Virgin Islands, in the form of federal loans.
On Oct. 26, 2017, President Trump signed supplemental
appropriations funding permitting the transfer of up to $4.6 billion to FEMA’s Community Disaster Loan (CDL)
Program. CDLs help local governments continue to provide essential
operating services after a major disaster. FEMA, in consultation with the
U.S. Department of the Treasury, determined the U.S. Virgin Islands now
qualifies to receive up to $371 million in CDLs. These funds will help the U.S. Virgin Islands
continue to perform essential government functions as the territory recovers
from Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
The CDL package was presented today to the U.S. Virgin
Islands’ Governor’s Authorized Representative for further review and
consultation with FEMA in regard to the loan terms. Upon agreement, the loan
funding will be transferred to budgetary accounts for dispersal to the U.S.
Virgin Islands’ central government, the Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital &
Medical Center, the Roy Lester Schneider Hospital-Schneider Regional Medical
Center, and the U.S. Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority.
Loan funds will be withdrawn in increments based on
actual, immediate cash needs as necessary to maintain essential government
operations supported by financial documentation. FEMA, in consultation with
the U.S. Department of the Treasury, implemented additional reporting
requirements (e.g., submissions of cash receipts, cash outlays, restricted
and unrestricted cash balances, and other cash flows) to ensure CDL funds are
being used appropriately.
FEMA, in consultation with the U.S. Department of the
Treasury, continues to work closely with states and territories affected by
Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, and Irma to determine eligibility and appropriate
loan authority for their CDLs.
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Towards a culture of preparation in East Africa. November 2017
Cultural preparation & change will have to take place at all levels. From top-down to bottom-up.
BEMA International.
BEMA International.
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 Towards a culture of preparation: Engaging with university students to promote uptake of Kaya courses to enhance Disaster Risk ReductionDisasters and disaster risks have been on the rise in the last decade. Globally, the number of people affected has been increasing by an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 per decade since the early 1970s and is projected to continue to increase in many regions of the world due to the growing exposure from human activities and climate change. This projected increase in frequency and intensity of disasters is expected to be exacerbated by increased vulnerability due to poverty and increased population pressure in some risk-prone areas. |
Sunday, November 5, 2017
CERT Should Be Mandatory. Starting in Middle School?
What about your community?
BEMA International
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Good Article in Emergency
Managment News Letter - CERT Should Be Mandatory
http://www.govtech.com/em/disaster/Fall-2017-EM-CERT-Should-Be-Mandatory.html
CERT Should Be Mandatory
All too often, businesses and organizations expect that first
responders can get to them quickly in a major disaster.
/ October 30, 2017
Too often, businesses
and organizations rely on the hope that first responders will be able to
reach them in time during a major disaster. However, the bigger the disaster, the more
strain on limited resources, and the less likely the government will be able
to respond. As a result, it is
imperative that everyone in an organization can use their own resources and
skills to take care of each other.
FEMA maintains the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program as an official emergency preparedness program. However, there is no obligation or requirement for schools and employers in high-hazard areas to implement or maintain such programs on site. The CERT concept was originally developed following a series of earthquakes in the U.S. and Puerto Rico that left hundreds dead, injured and without emergency services. CERT volunteers are educated about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area, and CERT trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations. Local responders can rely on CERTs during disaster situations, which allows them to focus on more complex tasks. Yet public education campaigns encouraging participation in CERTs have not been highly effective or visible. For example, in California’s Bay Area, few residents are even aware that their neighborhoods offer CERT. Combine that with the fact that numerous IT companies in the Bay Area are basically small cities, and you are looking at a recipe for disaster. With the limited man-power and resources local emergency response has, these IT villages are not likely to receive help for a long period of time. And let’s not forget the sheer density of downtown San Francisco and Oakland, where emergency response will also have a difficult time responding to all affected buildings. Without holding schools and businesses accountable, there is a greater likelihood of loss of life when a catastrophic disaster occurs, such as tornado, flood or earthquake. In a catastrophic disaster, first responders will not be able to assist for a prolonged period of time. By requiring businesses of more than 150 persons and schools to have a work or campus-based (C-CERT) team in place, local public safety can focus on other areas [during an emergency situation]; allowing the affected school/company to be self-sufficient for a time. In any disaster, you can find numerous accounts of neighbors and regular citizens assisting at the scene before response agencies could deploy. After the Joplin, Mo., tornado in 2011, neighbors assisted in digging others out of the rubble. During the 2016 Louisiana floods, instead of waiting for the government to come rescue them, the people of Louisiana used privately owned boats to save their neighbors. This “Cajun Navy” was responsible for saving the lives of thousands of Louisianans. In South San Francisco, biotech companies have been ahead of the game for years, maintaining on-site search and rescue, medical, hazmat teams, and incident command teams. In the event of an earthquake, they will be able to rescue and treat their own staff before help arrives. The fact is that our communities and our facilities are one of the most effective ways to ensure that we are prepared in the event of a future emergency response situation, and every business should be a part of that preparedness. Schools and companies need to be able to take care of their own people, and in earthquake territory, it is irresponsible not to require all corporations and educational institutions to have response programs in place. Larissa Paschyn is the emergency manager for Amgen in South San Francisco, where she trains the emergency response teams. Previously, she was the external affairs officer for the FEMA Region 9 Incident Management Assistance Team. |
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