The September 30, 2012 M 7.3 earthquake west of Isnos, Colombia, occurred as a result of normal faulting deep within the subducting Nazca slab. The earthquake ruptured a fault in the interior of the inclined subduction zone that dips to the east-northeast beneath South America, having begun its decent into the mantle at the South America trench offshore of Colombia and Ecuador. 

(Kansas City, Kan., Sept. 24, 2012) - EPA Region 7 is requesting public comment on a proposed decision to restore a portion of the River des Peres in metropolitan St. Louis to the list of impaired waters for Missouri. The Agency found the river segment inadvertently omitted from Missouri’s impaired waters submittal. EPA previously approved Missouri’s listing of 253 waters as impaired, and the removal of 66 water bodies from the list. 

WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presented its 12th annual Green Power Leadership Awards to 24 Green Power Partners and three suppliers for their achievements in advancing the nation’s renewable electricity market. For most municipalities, electricity usage is the single-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. By using green power, communities and businesses can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create local jobs, and improve public health. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with recreational vehicle manufacturer, American Suzuki Motor Corporation and Suzuki Motor Corporation, to pay an $885,000 penalty for allegedly importing and selling 25,458 uncertified all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and off-road motorcycles in the United States. ATVs and motorcycles that are not certified may be operating without proper emissions controls and can emit excess hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides that can cause respiratory illnesses, aggravate asthma and contribute to the formation of ground level ozone, or smog. 

Baltimore – They’re not terrorists, but they could introduce something economically devastating.
Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists at Washington Dulles and Baltimore Washington international airports fined two travelers $300 each this week for deliberately, but unsuccessfully smuggling prohibited agriculture products in their luggage.
The BWI passenger, who arrived from Jamaica Wednesday, concealed four guavas inside the lining of a purse inside her baggage and two peppers inside the liner of her suitcase. The Dulles passenger, who arrived from Mongolia Tuesday, was even more creative, concealing about 12 pounds of raw beef and pork sausage inside juice boxes and other food containers. 

Baltimore:  A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entomologist confirmed Wednesday that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport discovered a new pest in the Baltimore area when they intercepted fly pupae of, Paraleyrodes bondari, or Nesting Whitefly while inspecting leaves found inside of a travelers luggage on June 3. 

 Release date:  September 12, 2012              Release Number:   DR-4081-011

Release date:  September 12, 2012    Release Number:  DR-4081-015

 

CLINTON, MISS. – Disaster recovery centers are open in Columbia and Magnolia to help those with storm losses caused by Hurricane Isaac. Center hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day until further notice. Here are the addresses of the newest centers:

 

 

 

^{Actions that saved lives, and actions that cost lives, as recounted by eyewitnesses to the tsunami from the largest earthquake ever measured—the magnitude 9.5 earthquake in Chile on May 22, 1960. In interviews several decades later, people in Chile, Hawaii, and Japan recall the tsunami}
 

Their accounts contain lessons on tsunami survival:

This report contains true stories that illustrate how to survive-and how not to survive-a tsunami. It is meant for people who live, work, or play along coasts that tsunamis may strike. Such coasts surround most of the Pacific Ocean but also include other areas, such as the shores of the Caribbean, eastern Canada, and the Mediterranean.

WASHINGTON – The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, a producer of pesticides for commercial and consumer lawn and garden uses, was sentenced today in federal district court in Columbus, Ohio, to pay a $4 million fine and perform community service for eleven criminal violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), which governs the manufacture, distribution, and sale of pesticides.