The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted a roundtable with Smart Sectors partners to mark one year of Smart Sectors’ work, engage in meaningful dialogue about agency priorities and to discuss environmental improvements across manufacturing sectors.
“President Trump is committed to revitalizing manufacturing in America and as part of this promise, EPA has partnered with regulated stakeholders to ensure open lines of communication and better environmental and economic outcomes,” said EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “I am pleased to kick off manufacturing week with the release of the Smart Sectors Program’s first annual accomplishments report that details the program’s extensive stakeholder engagement including 400 meetings in its first year.”
The “Smart Sectors Accomplishments Report for 2017-2018” shares other metrics, such as: developing ongoing relationships with many trade associations that represent 13 sectors of the economy, hosting two Administrator roundtables with all sectors, and participating in 17 site visits that covered the operations of nine different sectors.
In its first year, the program also created a video and story map about best practices in permitting, and unveiled a new sector snapshots web tool to provide environmental and economic data about three sectors – chemical manufacturing, utilities and power generation, and iron and steel – participating in the program.
The Smart Sectors program staff visited the following sites to learn more about sector operations: Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. plant in Lake Jackson, Texas; Port of Cleveland and ArcelorMittal iron and steel facility in Cleveland; Empire Dairy in Wiggins, Colo.; JBS/Five Rivers Cattle Feeding in Kersey, Colo.; Port of Virginia in Norfolk, Va.; Marathon Petroleum Corp.’s Catlettsburg Refinery in Catlettsburg, Ky.; Empire State Building energy efficiency retrofit and Hudson Yards sites in New York; The Boeing Co. in Charleston, S.C.; FoodMaven in Colorado Springs, Colo.; Port Tampa Bay in Tampa and Mosaic Four Corners Mine in Bradley, Fla; Zentech Manufacturing electronics facility in Windsor Mill, Md.; Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair in Erie, Pa.; Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks, Ind.; and a Lehigh Hanson cement plant in Union Bridge, Md.