Ashland News Release:

May 8, 2014

Ashland HydroSheer^™ II technology solves skin care formulation challenge and wins the Beiersdorf Innovation Pitch award

WILMINGTON, DE - Manufacturers of personal care products continually search for new innovations to improve the performance and aesthetics of skin care creams. Ashland Specialty Ingredients, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH), now offers HydroSheer™ II formulation technology, a system designed to modify emulsion behavior in such a way that finished lotions appear clear or virtually clear during rubout on wet skin. Solving a long-standing formulation challenge, Ashland won the first ever Beiersdorf Innovation Pitch award at the in-cosmetics trade show, April 2nd in Hamburg, Germany.

Ashland's HydroSheer II technology takes into account a number of formulation variables required to produce stable creams and lotions that apply clear on wet skin, including the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance or HLB. The featured ingredients are Escalol™ UV filters for SPF protection and Prolipid� lamellar gel for smooth feel, application uniformity and formulation stability.

Accepting the award for Ashland Specialty Ingredients was Anna A. Gripp, global marketing leader for sun care, Ashland Specialty Ingredients; Hani Fares, senior director - skin care, Ashland Specialty Ingredients; and Dr. Alexander Wendt, strategic account manager, Ashland Specialty Ingredients.

"In designing a system that matches the unique lamellar organization of skin's lipids, and other requirements, we are meeting a consumer need for creams and lotions that perform better on a number of levels," said Anna Gripp. "HydroSheer II formulation technology may change the way skin care emulsions are made and sold."

"Manufacturers of skin care emulsions wanted a system that worked better, more efficiently and more simply than anything in the marketplace," said Hani Fares. "A series of investigations pointed us toward a solution that we call HydroSheer II formulation technology.

"Once we understood all of the components of the problem, the solution had become obvious. We are pleased to present a major game-changing innovation with HydroSheer II formulation technology."
Previously, Ashland commercialized its HydroSheer formulation technology for spray and gel form products, providing formulators the option to produce sunscreen products with water-resistant films miscible in water.

The Beiersdorf Innovation Pitch
Beiersdorf's Innovation Pitch award is an extension of the company's open innovation initiative called "Pearlfinder." By integrating external knowledge into its research and development, Beiersdorf seeks to further bolster its innovation power.

Out of 66 entries, 23 companies were selected to the final round at the in-cosmetics trade show. The ideas were evaluated by a Beiersdorf jury consisting of experienced R&D, marketing and scouting heads. Key criteria included uniqueness, feasibility, consumer benefit, fit with Beiersdorf brands and market potential - with the winners excelling in these areas. Ashland, a long-time Beiersdorf strategic partner, won first place for a promising idea related to sun care.

About Ashland Specialty Ingredients
Ashland Specialty Ingredients, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc., offers industry-leading products, technologies and resources for solving formulation and product performance challenges in key markets including personal care, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, coatings and energy. Using natural, synthetic and semi-synthetic polymers derived from plant and seed extract, cellulose ethers and vinyl pyrrolidones, Ashland Specialty Ingredients offers comprehensive and innovative solutions for today's demanding consumer and industrial applications.

About Ashland
In more than 100 countries, the people of Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) provide the specialty chemicals, technologies and insights to help customers create new and improved products for today and sustainable solutions for tomorrow. Our chemistry is at work every day in a wide variety of markets and applications, including architectural coatings, automotive, construction, energy, food and beverage, personal care, pharmaceutical, tissue and towel, and water treatment. Visit ashland.com to see the innovations we offer through our four commercial units - Ashland Specialty Ingredients, Ashland Water Technologies, Ashland Performance Materials and Valvoline.

Press release:

Oracle Press Release

Oracle Simplifies Application Access with New Oracle Secure Global Desktop Release

Latest Desktop Virtualization Solution Provides Richer User Experience, Enhanced Security, and Easier Deployment

Redwood Shores, Calif. – August 16, 2012

News Facts

Today, Oracle announced general availability of a new release of Oracle Secure Global Desktop, a highly scalable and reliable application access solution that provides secure, browser-based access to applications hosted in the data center, from a wide variety of client devices.

Oracle Secure Global Desktop 4.7 improves the user experience through support for multi-monitor configurations, richer graphics and audio; delivers out of the box security; expands the list of supported server operating system and Internet browser versions; and supports faster deployment through Oracle VM Templates.

Supporting the industry’s broadest range of server-based applications, including Web-based applications from Oracle and other vendors, and standard Windows, Linux, UNIX, and legacy applications, Oracle Secure Global Desktop helps lower the risk, time and cost of delivering applications to the enterprise.

Oracle Secure Global Desktop is part of Oracle Virtualization, the industry's most comprehensive desktop-to-data center virtualization portfolio; enabling customers to virtualize and manage their full hardware and software stack from applications to disk.

Richer User Experience, More Secure, and Easier to Deploy

Oracle Secure Global Desktop 4.7 delivers a richer application experience by providing:

Multi-monitor support: Can increase productivity in organizations such as contact centers by allowing users to run multiple applications on different physical monitors at the same time.

Bi-directional audio: Expanding on the existing support for audio output for Windows applications, Oracle Secure Global Desktop now supports microphones and other audio input devices. This enables the use of dictation, conferencing, training, and other applications requiring audio interaction.

Enhanced Linux and UNIX graphics display: Oracle Secure Global Desktop now supports improved performance for 3-D applications utilizing OpenGL 1.3 graphics extensions. This provides a richer user experience for customers in Federal Government, Healthcare, Education and other industries where the regular use of graphically intense applications is becoming more common.

Oracle Secure Global Desktop 4.7 provides optimal out-of-the-box security through pre-configured security settings, eliminating the need for additional effort by administrators. This helps ensure consistency for large enterprise deployments.

Oracle Secure Global Desktop 4.7 adds support for the latest Internet browsers and server OS platforms including Internet Explorer 9, Chrome and the latest Firefox ESR browsers, and the Oracle Linux 6 and Oracle Solaris 11 operating systems.

For nearly instant deployment, a new Oracle VM Template is available as an alternative option for installing and configuring Oracle Secure Global Desktop. This Oracle VM Template is a ready-to-run Oracle VM virtual machine that eliminates the installation and basic configuration steps for the operating system and Oracle Secure Global Desktop.

Oracle Secure Global Desktop can run on Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud to provide secure remote access directly to Oracle Applications co-resident in Exalogic for an exceptionally responsive user experience.

Supporting Quote

"IT organizations need a single solution that can deliver secure remote access to all of their data center applications – not just Windows based applications," said Wim Coekaerts, Senior Vice President of Oracle Linux and Virtualization Development. "Oracle Secure Global Desktop is an easy to deploy and use solution that enables users to access Windows, Linux, UNIX, and legacy applications in a way that provides a rich user experience and high security while reducing complexity for both IT and the user.”

Supporting Resources

Oracle Virtualization

Oracle Secure Global Desktop

Video - Oracle Secure Global Desktop for Exalogic

Oracle Virtualization blog, Twitter, Facebook

Relevant Blog: Wim Coekaerts

About Oracle

Oracle engineers hardware and software to work together in the cloud and in your data center.  For more information about Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL), visit www.oracle.com

Press release:

BMC Software Acquires VaraLogix to Fuel Fast Application Deployment

BMC extends its leadership in DevOps via Enhanced Application Release Automation

HOUSTON, August 8, 2012 – BMC Software (NASDAQ: BMC) today announced it has acquired VaraLogix, a proven application release automation provider. With this acquisition, BMC is expanding its DevOps portfolio to make it easier for IT to more quickly and efficiently deliver cutting-edge applications with fewer outages, lower risk and higher return on investment.

The volume of software applications and updates continues to grow exponentially, promising new capabilities that can put a company ahead of its competition. However, deploying applications continues to present major challenges to companies of all sizes. The implications are enormous, because failed deployments can wreak havoc in terms of cost and efficiency. 

Traditionally, application deployments have been plagued with complex technical issues that result in deployment errors and failures. Often times, advanced application specialists are required throughout the deployment process, taking them away from their priority duty of building new, differentiated applications. The combination of BMC and VaraLogix technologies provides an abstraction layer that allows IT teams to deploy applications regardless of programming experience.

“We intend to implement VaraLogix Q to create a flexible and fast environment, allowing us to release changes to our production environments on a timely, efficient basis,” said James Obukhovsky, IT director, Infrastructure and Operations for Wet Seal, Inc. “We will seek to use this technology to impact our customer experience and sales in a positive manner.”

VaraLogix is the only solution specifically built to automate business-critical, multi-tier application deployment and configuration management. It will be integrated into the new BMC Release Lifecycle Management offering that will deliver:

·         Improvements in process management for continuous integration and delivery

·         Intelligent packaging for multi-technology, multi-tier applications

·         Open deployment management leveraging existing automation agents

·         Basic environment management for correct application configurations

“BMC has always had an innovative, intelligent approach to DevOps. By making visible what was previously invisible in the complex application release process, our technology gives customers an unprecedented ability to define, implement, monitor, assess and continually improve the application release process in an agile way,” said BMC’s John J. Balena, general manager, DevOps Solutions. “With today’s announcement, we are advancing our application automation suite and addressing an acute industry need for application release automation that works at the speed of today’s business.”

For more information about BMC and VaraLogix, please visit:

·         BMC Application Performance Management

·         Follow BMC on Twitter

Business Runs on IT. IT Runs on BMC Software.

Business runs better when IT runs at its best. That's why more than 20,000 IT organizations – from the Global 100 to the smallest businesses – in over 120 countries rely on BMC Software (NASDAQ: BMC) to manage their business services and applications across distributed, mainframe, virtual and cloud environments. With the leading Business Service Management platform, Cloud Management, and the industry’s broadest choice of IT management solutions, BMC helps customers cut costs, reduce risk and achieve business objectives. For the four fiscal quarters ended June 30, 2012, BMC revenue was approximately $2.2 billion.

Microsoft Dynamics: Translating Customers' Aspirations into Reality

News Press Release
Microsoft Dynamics: Translating Customers’ Aspirations Into Reality

Microsoft announces key releases and cloud road map for customers on the path to the Dynamic Business transformation.

inShare22

HOUSTON — March 19, 2012 — Customers of Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq “MSFT”) gathered today at Convergence 2012 to hear how Microsoft Business Solutions will help them become connected, forward-looking organizations. With an explicit commitment to simplicity and agility, Microsoft is designing software and cloud-based services that can help businesses be truly dynamic and inspire people to a higher level of commitment, innovation and leadership and, in turn, help businesses and people realize their full potential. Today at Convergence, Microsoft unveiled the evolution of its vision to help organizations become Dynamic Businesses. “People are the heart of every business, and Microsoft business solutions deliver on the promise of enabling people to do their best work through modern, elegant business applications that provide unrivaled time to value, simplicity and agility,” said Kirill Tatarinov, president, Microsoft Business Solutions, speaking to more than 10,000 attendees in the opening keynote presentation at Convergence 2012. “We are committed to the technical and business process innovation necessary to help customers transform into Dynamic Businesses.” Delivering Innovation for Dynamic Businesses Microsoft Dynamics has continued to deliver on its promise of providing innovation for Dynamic Businesses by announcing that much of its portfolio of business solutions will be updated by the end of calendar year 2012. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 launched last fall and was followed by Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail in February of this year. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 will be available worldwide in Q4 calendar year 2012, and will deliver major industry enhancements such as multichannel retail capabilities with Web storefronts, as well as RoleTailored, in-context business intelligence using the latest Microsoft SQL Server technologies. Microsoft also announced that both Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 and Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 will be cloud-enabled for Windows Azure, optimized for small and midsize businesses (SMBs), and generally available in Q4 of calendar year 2012. The beta release for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 is expected in May 2012. In addition, the company reiterated its commitment that the next major release of Microsoft Dynamics AX will evolve as an enterprise cloud service offering from Microsoft. Earlier this year, Microsoft also announced the Q2 service update of Microsoft Dynamics CRM featuring native mobile support for popular mobile devices. In keeping with its commitment to release updates to its cloud service twice a year, Microsoft announced the next Microsoft Dynamics CRM service update will be available in Q4 calendar year 2012, delivering capabilities in social customer care and cloud-based data enrichment services. Microsoft Partners Help Customers Transform Into Dynamic Businesses Microsoft today announced that the independent software vendor (ISV) ecosystem for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 will offer multiple vertical services hosted on Windows Azure to provide customers with the specialized capabilities required for their businesses, from industrial equipment manufacturing to specialized retail and fashion, with more offerings becoming available over time. “I am excited by the opportunity that cloud provides To Increase to better serve our customers,” said Cornelis Bosch, chief executive officer of To Increase, a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and global ISV. “Our end-to-end industry solutions, powered by the strength of Microsoft Dynamics on Windows Azure, represent a comprehensive, consumer-centric, next-generation business solution for customers.” Microsoft also announced a number of significant global ISV partners supporting Dynamics AX 2012. Accenture (transportation services solution), Bull (public sector), Cincom Systems Inc. (complex enterprise and manufacturing solutions), and McLane Logistics Technology (distribution solution) have all chosen Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 as the foundation for their solutions for its modern architecture, flexibility and ease of use and for ensuring their customers a path to the cloud. These partners join Microsoft’s broad portfolio of other leading vertical global ISVs, which view Microsoft Dynamics as a critical component in helping propel customers to become connected, forward-looking enterprises. CareWorks (social services solution) and Redknee Inc. (customer care solution) are also entering the global ISV program, joining Ericsson (call center) and Convergys (customer care solution) to build their solutions on the innovation, flexibility and agility of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Microsoft is also announcing a social intelligence alliance with InsideView Inc., a silver sponsor for Convergence 2012 and 2011 Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace Solution Excellence Partner of the Year. This alliance will allow customers to use the InsideView platform directly within Microsoft Dynamics CRM to analyze social media and user-contributed, traditional and proprietary editorial information to provide compelling insights about their customers directly within Microsoft Dynamics CRM at no additional cost. Dynamic Business Momentum Microsoft announced the latest Microsoft Dynamics CRM adoption numbers, with 33,000 customers and 2.25 million users, and is showcasing a record number of customers who are making the Dynamic Business transformation. Customers such as Hunter Douglas Group, Rockwater Energy Solutions and World Vision Inc. are taking advantage of the simplicity and agility that Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 delivers today. Lotus F1 Team has chosen Microsoft Dynamics for its end-to-end business transformation, from design and manufacturing to retail and merchandising operations. Microsoft Dynamics helps customers, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, Specialists On Call Inc., Nissin Foods Co., The Bradshaw Group Inc., Sta-Home Health & Hospice, Hydro Resources Inc., Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and the New York Jets, get to the heart of what really makes an organization successful. More information about Microsoft’s Dynamic Business vision can be found by downloading the new white paper at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/about.aspx. More information and news from Convergence 2012 is available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/dynamics. The opening keynote presentation and general session keynote speeches are available on the new virtual event platform for Convergence 2012. Those who want to follow and engage with the Microsoft Dynamics Twitter community can do so at @MSDYNCOMM using #CONV12.

News Release from Oracle - Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 2

Oracle Announces Production Release of Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 2 for Oracle Linux

Fastest Linux Kernel for Transaction Processing Now Generally Available

Redwood Shores, Calif. – March 13, 2012

News Facts

Oracle today announced the general availability of the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 2 for Oracle Linux.

Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 2 includes performance and scalability enhancements that allowed Oracle to achieve record database benchmark results(1,2).

Based on the 3.0.16 mainline kernel, Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 2 also includes improved memory and resource management, and is optimized to be deployed as a virtual guest.

The Btrfs file system is now production-ready with this release. Standard in Oracle Linux, Btrfs supports data stores of up to 16 exabyte, is optimized for solid state disks, is easy to administer, and includes built-in data integrity.

In addition, Oracle is offering technology previews of the very popular dynamic tracing mechanism, DTrace, and a powerful instance isolation capability, Linux Containers, to Oracle Linux support subscribers.

Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 2 is included with Oracle Linux 5 and 6.

To learn more, join the Oracle Linux Online Forum, March 27th.

Record-Setting Linux Performance Plus the Most Modern Feature Set

Highlights of Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 2 (R2) include:

Performance Improvements: to the scheduler, memory management, file system layer and networking stack, all lend to performance advantages on any size system.

Performance Benchmarks: Oracle Linux with the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel R2 has recently delivered two record breaking TPC-C benchmark results, on a small and a largesystem (1,2).

Btrfs: the “next generation file system” for Linux. With btrfs included, Oracle Linux can support large files and file systems, snapshots and checksums for data and meta-data, provides integrated RAID and volume management, and simplifies administration.

Transparent Hugepages: automatically organizes memory in larger units to reduce memory management overhead and improve stability for memory-intensive workloads.

Optimized for deployment as a virtual guest: the same Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel R2 kernel image, with full support for the Xen hypervisor included, can be used to run both in hardware virtualized and paravirtualized modes.

Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel R2 also includes the following technology previews:

Built-in virtualization: Linux Containers allow multiple isolated Linux instances (containers) to run on the same host. Processes running in containers can have their own private view of the operating system, file system structure and network interfaces, and their use of server resources can be tightly controlled.

DTrace: provides a comprehensive dynamic tracing framework that is designed to quickly identify the root cause of system performance problems without rebooting the kernel and recompiling—or even restarting—applications.

Running Oracle Linux with Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel R2 fully maintains existing userspace application compatibility and certification without any modification.

Oracle Linux with Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel is extensively tested with the most demanding workloads, both on third-party servers and Oracle’s, including Engineered Systems such as Oracle Exadata Database Machine, Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud, Oracle Exalytics In-Memory Machine and Oracle Big Data Appliance – to help ensure superior performance and reliability.

With Oracle Linux Premier Support, customers can implement zero downtime kernel updates for Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel R2 with Ksplice technology.

Oracle Linux is open source with a public git source code repository and compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Supporting Quote

“Oracle Linux continues to deliver timely Linux innovations, backed by real-world testing, providing users a modern, scalable and reliable platform for their business critical workload demands,” said Wim Coekaerts, senior vice president of Linux and Virtualization Engineering, Oracle. “Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 2 further demonstrates Oracle’s investment in Linux technology and the community, and delivers on our goal to make Linux better for everyone.”

Supporting Resources

Oracle and Linux

Oracle Linux Customers

Wim Coekaerts Blog

Oracle Linux Online Forum, March 27th

New Innovations in Oracle Linux Webcast

Visit Oracle Linux on Blog, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

News Release from BMC - Remedyforce Release

Latest BMC Remedyforce Release Prepares IT to Tackle Contemporary Challenges

BMC and salesforce.com deliver new capabilities to the social enterprise through Remedyforce; Dell expands reach of Remedyforce to small and mid-market businesses

HOUSTON, Feb. 27, 2012 – BMC Software (NASDAQ: BMC), the leader in Business Service Management (BSM), today announced the availability of the winter release of its cloud-based Remedyforce Service Desk solution, which includes innovative new capabilities for service request management and the integration of social media and external sources into a truly modern knowledge management system. Both additions provide even higher levels of productivity for end users, improving customer satisfaction and providing significant gains in efficiency for IT. 

Additionally, an expanded reseller partnership with Dell provides greater access to the BMC Remedyforce Service Desk solution to small and mid-market organizations.

“These new capabilities can help to modernize IT support so we are ready to not only meet the challenges of today, but also tomorrow,” said Ervin Sala, director of IT Operations, Saveology. “Remedyforce has long provided us with exceptional service and we expect these capabilities will substantively benefit our IT service management approach.”

The BMC Remedyforce Service Desk solution is at the forefront of helping IT harness the “consumerization of IT” phenomenon. The advent of social media has made communication between individuals and groups instantaneous, collaborative and continuous, driving an expectation that all departments, including IT, interact with equal speed and agility. Through the capabilities of Salesforce Chatter, the leading enterprise social network, the BMC Remedyforce Service Desk solution makes it easier for IT professionals to interact with each other, ultimately benefitting the end user. Furthermore, new functionality enables Chatter feeds and other sources to be archived in the solution’s knowledge management system, providing unprecedented access to information.  

Developments and expectations in the market create new challenges for IT support teams and new requirements for IT service management systems. The BMC Remedyforce Service Desk solution represents a cost-effective, contemporary and best-practice driven solution to the challenges of delivering high quality service support at optimal cost. Service request management empowers end users through a self-service interface – maximizing responsiveness, quality and efficiency. The new knowledge management system delivers capabilities, which bring in social media and other external content, to unlock the latent knowledge spread across multiple repositories and Chatter. These new capabilities can be expected to further drive down the cost and increase the efficiency of service desk operations for organizations.

“Remedyforce is helping IT departments achieve greater success in the world of the social enterprise with the power of Chatter and Force.com,” said Ron Huddleston, senior vice president, ISV & Channel, salesforce.com. “The latest version of Remedyforce is evidence of BMC and salesforce.com’s mutual commitment to revolutionize IT service management.”

The BMC Remedyforce Service Desk solution leverages the Force.com, salesforce.com’s social enterprise platform for building employee facing social apps, to deliver the performance, reliability and scalability of the industry’s leading cloud platform, as well as the ability for BMC developers to quickly extend the functionality in BMC Remedyforce.

“Customer recommendations are critically important to the ongoing development of Remedyforce. We’ve been able to innovate on customer feedback and requests in record time thanks to the responsiveness of our teams and the flexibility of salesforce.com’s Force.com platform,” said Marc Ferrentino, CTO of SaaS, BMC. “Remedyforce is a smart, strategic investment for organizations in changing times as it has a growing partner ecosystem and rich product roadmap, which has been bolstered by our recent acquisition of Numara, further accelerating the growth of our SaaS business.”

Dell is now including the BMC Remedyforce Service Desk solution in its IT management portfolio. This will increase the reach of BMC Remedyforce in small and mid-sized organizations, arming them with a new level of IT support that will help them modernize operations. 

News Release from EPA Region 2 - Battery Recycling

EPA Reaches Agreement with Battery Recycling Company, Inc. of Arecibo, Puerto Rico

To Reduce Lead Pollution

Contact: Elias Rodriguez, 212-637-3664, rodriguez.elias@epa.gov; Brenda Reyes, 787-977-5869, reyes.brenda@epa.gov

(New York, N.Y. - Feb. 23, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached a legal agreement with the Battery Recycling Company, Inc. requiring it to take multiple actions to reduce the spread of lead contamination from its Arecibo, Puerto Rico facility. As part of an ongoing investigation of the facility, the EPA identified violations of federal regulations governing the proper handling of hazardous materials. The agreement announced today requires the company to take immediate steps to address the environmental violations and prevent releases of lead and other pollutants from the site. The company will invest more than $3 million in facility upgrades and will undertake three environmental projects to benefit the community. The Battery Recycling Company has agreed, at this time, to pay a $112,500 penalty for alleged violations of the hazardous waste law.

Lead is a toxic metal that can have serious, long-term health consequences for adults and children. Even at low levels, lead can cause I.Q. deficiencies, reading and learning disabilities, impaired hearing, reduced attention spans, hyperactivity and other behavioral problems in children.

“Lead is a dangerous toxin that can affect a child’s ability to learn. We need to do everything possible to protect the children of Arecibo from being exposed to lead. This agreement reached by the EPA and Arecibo Battery Recycling does just that. It will also help protect the health of the workers at the plant and all people living near the facility,” said Judith A. Enck, the EPA Regional Administrator.

The EPA inspections identified significant violations of federal air, water and hazardous waste regulations. The air and water violations were addressed in previous EPA orders issued to the company. The agreement announced today addresses the hazardous waste violations under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

The Battery Recycling Company, Inc. is a lead smelter that recycles used motor vehicle batteries and produces approximately 60 tons of lead per day. Throughout 2010 and 2011, the EPA conducted a series of inspections of the facility to determine its compliance with federal laws and regulations. The facility was found to generate lead-contaminated dust during battery processing, lead smelting and refining operations, and the storage and handling of waste. Workers have also carried lead dust on their clothes and equipment into their cars and homes, putting their families and others at risk.

Under the agreement announced today, Battery Recycling will completely enclose the lead recycling processing areas and run all emissions through dust collection systems. The company will also finish building a new dust collection system to capture lead dust within the work area. Trucks and automobiles leaving the facility will be washed and inspected to reduce the spread of lead dust. Facility roads will be paved and pavements will be cleaned, in many cases, at least twice each day.

Battery Recycling has also agreed to fund the following local projects:

• Purchase of a vacuum sweeper vehicle to clean facility roadways of lead dust or other pollutants. It will improve the collection of dust and dirt and the proper disposal of the waste. The project is estimated to cost a minimum of $180,000.

• Purchase special equipment to compress dust from collection storage bins into pellets for easier handling. The project is estimated to cost a minimum of $150,000

• Provide assistance to local high schools in Puerto Rico to improve environmental education involving the safe handling and disposal of old chemicals. The project is estimated to cost a minimum of $150,000

The order announced today is the latest in a series of actions the EPA has taken to protect people’s health and the environment in Arecibo. Under previous agreements with the EPA, Battery Recycling improved existing employee changing areas, installed a decontamination station for vehicles entering and leaving facility processing areas, and trained employees to ensure that “clean” and “dirty” lockers and changing areas are kept separate and used in a way that minimizes contamination between the areas. Battery Recycling is now also required to follow a standard operating procedure manual for continuously monitoring compliance with previous orders.

To learn more about EPA’s efforts to reduce lead risks, visit: http://www.epa.gov/lead.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.

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