Lawyer Says EPA May Increase Criminal Enforcement of Stormwater Violations

An environmental law expert says the EPA could increase its use of criminal enforcement penalties to address stormwater requirements — a move that will likely garner strong industry opposition. Jane Barrett, director of the University of Maryland's Environmental Law Clinic, says EPA criminal enforcement of Clean Water Act (CWA) stormwater requirements may become an agency priority in the next few years. Barrett's comments come as the EPA on Oct. 12 issued its long-awaited enforcement priorities for FY2008 to FY2010 that gives stormwater and other wet weather issues top priority. EPA has made stormwater one of its four CWA national priorities for civil enforcement, and the pattern has been that EPA focuses first on civil enforcement and then moves on to criminal enforcement, Barrett said. Stormwater provisions "have been the stepchild of the Clean Water Act," but a combination of factors are indicating that they could become a focus of criminal enforcement, Barrett said on Oct. 4 at an American Law Institute-American Bar Association conference on criminal enforcement of environmental laws. (http://insideepa.com/)
Inside EPA Weekly Report (10/19/2007)

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Americans Forego Little Luxuries as Housing Slump Deepens

Brian LaCroix, a 34-year-old computer engineer, developed a taste for expensive coffees. Earlier this year, however, he stopped frequenting a French coffee shop in Dallas and bought an espresso machine, slashing the daily cost for deux lattes from $8 to $1. The newlywed and his wife, who have a combined income of about $200,000, have also cut spending by mowing their own lawn. And Brian asked to work from home two days a week to save on gas for his 2002 Ford Ranger. For the past several years, American consumers at every rung of the income ladder have been trading up — splurging on a growing array of luxury products, from $4 lattes to $4,000 handbags. With easy access to credit, especially home-equity loans, middle-class Americans began regularly trading up for items that appealed to them, buying food staples at Kroger but splurging on Kobe beef at Whole Foods. Across the economy, consumers are now opting for smaller, less expensive items. In the past three years, sales of compact cars — cheaper to buy and operate than SUVs — have risen from 13.6% to 17.7% of total U.S. auto sales, even as automakers’ incentive spending per compact car fell by 55%. (www.newsweek.com)
Newsweek (10/22/2007); Daniel Gross

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Toilets’ Flushing Power Improving

If you buy a toilet, you just can't buy by brand alone. Ask to see the performance characteristics of the specific model you want to buy. A consortium of Canadian and American water departments collected the most popular toilet models and had them tested. The test is called Maximum Performance (MaP) Testing. The new testing protocol incorporated the use of soybean paste that closely replicated the real thing. This past July, the 10th edition of the MaP test results listed 142 toilet models that flushed 1,000 grams or more; 153 that flushed 900 grams; and an almost impossible to believe 356 toilets rated at 500 grams or more. The honor role of top flushing toilets (1,000 grams or more) included 58 models by American Standard; two models by Caroma; eight models by Crane; 12 models by Eljer; two models by Foremost; 25 models by Gerber; one model by Jacuzzi; eight models by Kohler; nine models by Mansfield; one by RAK Ceramics; one by Vitra; three by Vortens-Lamos; six models by Western Pottery; and four models by Zurn. (www.detnews.com)
Detroit News (10/13/2007); Glenn Haege

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Prepare Now for Care of Elderly Parents

Forty-one percent of baby boomers who have a living parent are helping take care of them, with personal help, financial assistance or both, according to a USA Today/ABC News/Gallup Poll. Of those boomers who aren't providing care for parents now, 37% think they will someday. And about half of them say they're concerned about their ability to do so. Unpaid caregivers who contribute their own money spend an average of $2,400 a year on care, according to AARP. Adult children are paying out of their pocket "to make up for the mistakes their parents made 20 years ago" by not saving or investing aggressively enough, says Kenneth Kamen, president of Mercadien Asset Management, a financial planning firm. Try a "family conference" with all the siblings, if there are others. It's vital to get everyone on board, Kamen says, before a crisis arises. But don't categorically promise your parents you won't put them in a nursing home, Gail Hunt of the National Alliance for Caregiving says. "Sometimes, it's the only option. They might need more care than you can offer." Another option is to consider remodeling. Whether your parents move into your house or stay in their own, you might need to adapt the living space. You could add everything from handrails in bathrooms and a ramp instead of stairs at the front door, to a bathroom and bedroom on the first floor. (www.usatoday.com)
USA Today (10/17/2007); Mindy Fetterman

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