City Gets Excellence Award From the EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has named Anaheim to receive its first leadership excellence award for creativity in meeting environmental goals.

In announcing the honorary award, EPA Administrator Carol Browner praised Anaheim for crafting “an innovative strategy to control air pollution at a lower cost.”

The Project XL for Communities award (XL stands for excellence in leadership) stemmed from the EPA’s requirement that Anaheim spend $250,000 upgrading equipment to monitor air emissions from a small power plant near Kraemer Boulevard and La Palma Avenue.

Anaheim, arguing that the expenditure was unnecessary and would not reduce pollution, proposed instead to expand three environmental programs.

The EPA agreed and issued a waiver for the equipment upgrade.

“There is no environmental benefit to the community associated with the upgrade equipment,” said John Hills, Anaheim’s environmental services manager. “And we feel that the programs we proposed and the EPA agreed to as part of this arrangement will have a significant benefit to the community.”

In lieu of buying the equipment, the city will work with businesses such as dry cleaners to help them reduce air emissions and will expand two projects aimed at protecting ground water supplies from hazardous chemicals.

Hills said those efforts will cost about $31,000, which will be paid with grants from the EPA and the Orange County Water District.