Coast Guard Craft Fires Warning Shot at Iranian Dhow

By Amaani Lyle

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2014 - A U.S. Coast Guard vessel operating in international waters in the Arabian Gulf fired today on an Iranian dhow in what U.S. military officials described as a defensive move after the crew of the Iranian vessel trained a machine gun on the Americans with hostile intent.

A statement issued by the U.S Fifth Fleet in Bahrain said the incident occurred as the Coast Guard was conducting a routine maritime security operation. The American vessel fired a single shot at the dhow, but military officials said they did not know whether it hit the Iranian boat, which left the scene and did not communicate with the American crew. No U.S. personnel were reported injured.

The inflatable Coast Guard boat had been dispatched from the USCG Patrol Boat Monomoy to query the Iranian dhow, a common approach in the Arabian Gulf intended to improve maritime security in the region.

U.S. military rules of engagement state that unit commanders always have the inherent right and obligation to exercise unit self-defense in response to a hostile act or demonstrated hostile intent

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READY DETONATION

08/26/2014 05:21 PM CDT

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Eric Acosta, left, cuts detonation cord as U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Carlos N. Diaz pulls it tight during Exercise Koolendong 14 on Bradshaw Field Training Area, Australia, Aug. 17, 2014

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Owner of Home Health Care Company Sentenced to Nearly Six Years in Prison for Role in $6 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme


A co-owner of Professional Medical Home Health LLC was sentenced today to serve 70 months in prison and ordered to pay $6.2 million in restitution for her participation in a health care fraud scheme involving the now defunct home health care company .



Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Reginald France of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations Miami Office made the announcement.   U.S. District Judge Federico A. Moreno of the Southern District of Florida imposed the sentence.



According to court documents, Annarella Garcia, 44, of Hialeah, Florida, was a co-owner of Professional Medical Home Health, a Miami home health care agency that purported to provide home health and therapy services to Medicare beneficiaries.   Between December 2008 and February 2014, Garcia and others engaged in a scheme to bill the Medicare Program for expensive physical therapy and home health care services that were not medically necessary or were not provided.   During that time, Professional Medical Home Health was paid approximately $6.25 million by Medicare for the fraudulent claims.



Specifically, Garcia and her co-conspirators paid kickbacks and bribes to patient recruiters in return for their providing patients to Professional Medical Home Health for home health and therapy services that were not medically necessary or were not provided.   In furtherance of the scheme, Garcia and her co-conspirators falsified patient documentation to make it appear that beneficiaries qualified for and received home health care services, when, in fact, many of the beneficiaries did not actually qualify for such services and did not receive such services.



Garcia pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud on June 25, 2014.

The case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.   This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys A. Brendan Stewart and Anne P. McNamara of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.



Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 1,900 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $6 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.


To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.  

DoD CONTRACTS

AIR FORCE

 

Aerospace Testing Alliance, Tullahoma, Tennessee, has been awarded a $224,044,944 cost-plus-award-fee modification (P00334), exercising the fiscal 2015 award option to contract F40600-03-C-0001 to continue operations, maintenance, information management and support of Arnold Engineering Development Complex. Work will be performed at Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2015. This modification does not obligate funds at time of award. Air Force Test Center, Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee, is the contracting activity.

 

Cassidian SAS, Elancourt, France, has been awarded a maximum $98,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, with firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-reimbursement contract line item numbers for support and sustainment of the Eagle Vision Data Acquisition Segment (DAS). The sustainment effort includes systems support, telephone support, software/hardware maintenance, on¬site/emergency support, security accreditation, configuration management, sustaining engineering, spare management, sustainment training and overall program management. The support effort includes sustaining engineering, technical refresh, and the procurement of additional DAS systems. Work will be performed at Elancourt, France, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 21, 2019. One firm was solicited and one firm submitted a proposal. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $25,983 are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (FA8730-14-D-0022).

 

lnDyne, Inc., Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, has been awarded a $30,663,645 modification (P00122) to a cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-reimbursable for materials contract (FA2521-08-C-0006). The contract is for infrastructure operations and maintenance services for non-personal services involving operations and maintenance of the facilities, systems, equipment, utilities and infrastructure primarily for Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, and several Florida annexes in support of the 45th Space Wing and its mission partners. Work will be performed at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and several Florida annexes, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2015. No funds are being obligated at time of award. The 45th Contracting Squadron, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity.

 

Delaware Resource Group of Oklahoma, LLC, Oklahoma City, has been awarded a $11,757,127 modification (P00036) for the third option year of a firm-fixed-price with cost-reimbursable contract (FA4890-12-C-0004) for the F-15C/E, F-16 and F-22A aircrew training and courseware development. Work will be performed at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina; Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; Langley Air Force Base, Virginia; Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada; Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina; and Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2015. Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $11,757,127 are being obligated upon availability of funds. Air Combat Command Acquisition Management & Integration Center/PKB, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

 

BGI LLC., Akron, Ohio, has been awarded a $7,899,200 modification (P00011) for the first option year of the firm-fixed-price FA4890-13-C-0008 contract for EC-130H and A-10 aircrew training and courseware development training programs. Work will be performed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, and Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2015. Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance funds will be obligated upon availability of funds. Headquarters Air Combat Command Acquisition Management & Integration Center, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

 

ARMY

 

Layne Christensen Co., Ruther Glen, Virginia, was awarded a $132,504,348 contract for wall rehabilitation construction, East Branch cutoff, East Branch Clarion River Lake, Wilcox, Pennsylvania. Work will be performed in Wilcox, Pennsylvania, with an estimated completion date of June 6, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with five received. Fiscal 2014 other procurement funds in the amount of $19,300,000 are being obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the contracting activity (W911WN-14-C-0002).

 

Archer Western Federal JV, Chicago, Illinois, was awarded a $36,998,000 contract to design and construct an attack/assault/cavalry hangar for rotary-wing aircraft at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, with an estimated completion date of March 17, 2016. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with seven received. Fiscal 2014 military construction funds in the amount of $36,998,000 are being obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle, Washington is the contracting activity (W912DW-14-C-0023).

 

Kiewit Infrastructure South Co., Omaha, Nebraska, was awarded a $26,977,306 firm-fixed-price contract to construct the Canton Dam auxiliary spillway at Canton Lake, Canton, Oklahoma, with an estimated completion date of March 9, 2016. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with six received. Fiscal 2014 other procurement funds in the amount of $26,977,306 are being obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (W912BV-14-C-0027).

 

L-3, Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded a $22,696,932 modification (P00028) to contract W15QKN-10-C-0015 to exercise option year four for an increased quantity of M783 fuses for the 60mm, 81mm and 120mm mortar cartridges. Fiscal 2014 and 2016 other procurement funds in the amount of $22,696,932 were obligated at the time of award. Estimated completion date is June 30, 2016. Work will be performed at Cincinnati, Ohio. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.

 

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

 

International Enterprises Inc., Talladega, Alabama, has been awarded a maximum $28,905,257 firm-fixed-price contract for F-16 electric module assemblies. This contract was a sole-source acquisition. This is a five-year base contract with no option year periods. Location of performance is Alabama with an August 2019 performance completion date. Using service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2014 Air Force working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Hill AFB, Utah (SPRHA4-14-D-0001).

 

Dove Medical Supply LLC,** Summerfield, North Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $25,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for various laboratory supplies. This contract was a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. This is a one-year base contract, with four one-year option periods. Location of performance is North Carolina, with an Aug. 25, 2015, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DE-14-D-0005).

 

Dental Health Products Inc.,* New Franken, Wisconsin, has been awarded a maximum $9,250,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract for dental and medical equipment. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and 58 offers were received. This is a five-year base contract, with no option periods. Location of performance is Wisconsin, with an Aug. 25, 2019, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DH-14-D-0006).

 

NAVY

 

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $19,994,879 modification to the previously awarded F-35 Lightning II Low Rate Initial Production Lot VI contract (N00019-11-C-0083). This modification provides site activation efforts required for the stand-up of the United Kingdom Joint Strike Fighter Academic Training Center at Royal Air Force Marham, United Kingdom. Work will be performed in Marham, United Kingdom (55 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (35 percent); and Orlando, Florida (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2015. International partner funds in the amount of $19,994,879 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

 

DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY

 

The Boeing Company, Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $9,365,890 modification (P00003) exercising the option period on a seven-month base contract (HR0011-14-9-0002), with one 16-month option period. In Phase 1B, Boeing will continue to refine their design of the
Vertical Take-Off and Landing Experimental Aircraft bringing it to a preliminary design review level. Specifically, Boeing will complete the following milestones: system definition review, interim progress review and preliminary design review. This is an 'other transaction.' Locations of performance are Ridley Park, Pennsylvania (74 percent); Manassas, Virginia (8 percent); Torrance, California (7 percent); Israel (3 percent); Cincinnati, Ohio (2 percent); Atlanta, Georgia (2 percent); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1 percent); Blacksburg, Virginia (1 percent); and Newport News, Virginia (1 percent), with aNov. 30, 2015, performance completion date. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 through fiscal 2015 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $9,365,890. The contracting activity is the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia.

 

*Small business
**Woman-owned small business

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NASA Completes Successful Battery of Tests on Composite Cryotank

NASA has completed a complex series of tests on one of the largest composite cryogenic fuel tanks ever manufactured, bringing the aerospace industry much closer to designing, building, and flying lightweight, composite tanks on rockets.

"This is one of NASA's major technology accomplishments for 2014," said Michael Gazarik, NASA's associate administrator for Space Technology. "This is the type of technology that can improve competitiveness for the entire U.S. launch industry, not to mention other industries that want to replace heavy metal components with lightweight composites. These tests, and others we have conducted this year on landing technologies for Mars vehicles, show how technology development is the key to driving exploration." 

One of the largest composite cryotanks ever built recently completed a battery of tests at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The tank was lowered into a structural test stand where it was tested with cryogenic hydrogen and structural loads were applied to simulate stresses the tank would experience during launch.

Image Credit: 

NASA/David Olive

The demanding series of tests on the 18-foot (5.5-meter) diameter tank were conducted inside a test stand at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Engineers added structural loads to the tank to replicate the physical stresses launch vehicles experience during flight.

In other tests, the tank successfully maintained fuels at extremely low temperatures and operated at various pressures.  Engineers filled the tank with almost 30,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen chilled to -423 degrees Fahrenheit, and repeatedly cycled the pressure between 20 to 53 pounds per square inch -- the pressure limit set for the tests.

"This is the culmination of a three-year effort to design and build a large high-performance tank with new materials and new processes and to test it under extreme conditions," said John Vickers, the project manager for the Composite Cryogenic Technology Demonstration Project, which is one of the key technologies funded by NASA's Game Changing Development Program. "We are a step closer to demonstrating in flight a technology that could reduce the weight of rocket tanks by 30 percent and cut costs by at least 25 percent."

The composite rocket fuel tank, which arrived at Marshall on March 26 aboard NASA's Super Guppy airplane, was built by the Boeing Company near Seattle.

"Never before has a tank of this size been proven to sustain the thermal environment of liquid hydrogen at these pressures," said Dan Rivera, Boeing program manager for the cryotank project. "Our design is also more structurally efficient then predecessors. This is a significant technology achievement for NASA, Boeing and industry. "We are looking at composite fuel tanks for many aerospace applications."

The project is part of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, which is innovating, developing, testing and flying hardware for use in NASA's future missions. Over the next year, the directorate will make significant new investments to address several high-priority challenges in achieving safe and affordable deep space exploration. Next-generation technologies including composite systems have the potential to make rockets, including NASA's Space Launch System -- a deep space rocket being developed at Marshall -- more capable and affordable. 

B-roll video of the cryotank is available at:

http://go.nasa.gov/1st5oMJ

For more information about NASA's investment in space technology, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/spacetech

-end-

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ExxonMobil Pipeline Company to Pay Civil Penalty Under Proposed Settlement for Torbert, Louisiana Oil Spill

Settlement Resolves Clean Water Act Violation Stemming from 2012 Spill

WASHINGTON — ExxonMobil Pipeline Company (ExxonMobil) has agreed to pay a civil penalty for an alleged violation of the Clean Water Act stemming from a 2012 crude oil spill from ExxonMobil's "North Line" pipeline near Torbert, Louisiana, the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today.  Under the consent decree lodged today in federal court, ExxonMobil will pay $1,437,120 to resolve the government's claim.

The United States' complaint, which was also filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, alleges that ExxonMobil discharged at least 2,800 barrels (or 117,000 gallons) of crude oil in violation of Section 311 of the Clean Water Act.  On April 28, 2012, ExxonMobil's 20/22-inch-diamater pipeline ruptured near Torbert, about 20 miles west of Baton Rouge, and crude oil spilled into the surrounding area and flowed into an unnamed tributary connected to Bayou Cholpe. 

"All businesses have an obligation to protect their workers, the local community and the environment in which they operate," said Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance at EPA. "EPA is committed to protecting communities by enforcing laws that reduce pollution in local waterways."

"Oil spills into our nation's waters endanger public health and the environment and warrant concerted enforcement efforts," said Sam Hirsch, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.  "Today's settlement achieves a just result and furthers our enforcement mission."

The $1.4 million penalty is in addition to the costs incurred by ExxonMobil to respond to the oil spill and to replace the segment of ruptured pipeline.  ExxonMobil is completing cleanup actions pursuant to an administrative order issued by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.  The company also continues to do follow-up work and to operate under a Corrective Action Order issued by the United States Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

The Clean Water Act makes it unlawful to discharge oil or hazardous substances into or upon the navigable waters of the United States or adjoining shorelines in quantities that may be harmful to the environment or public health.  The penalty paid for this spill will be deposited in the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund managed by the National Pollution Fund Center.  The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund is used to pay for federal response activities and to compensate for damages when there is a discharge or substantial threat of discharge of oil or hazardous substances to waters of the United States or adjoining shorelines.

The proposed consent decree, lodged in the Middle District of Louisiana, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and court review and approval.  A copy of the consent decree is available on the Department of Justice website at www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.

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Happy 100th Birthday, Julio Cortazar!

08/26/2014 03:53 PM EDT

"I would offer some advice to young writers, and that is to never ask for advice from other writers. I would advise them to search alone and through reading...books. My advice is for them to search for that indirect advice that can only come from a poet that has long been dead, or by a philosopher far, far away. Never ask another writer for advice, as that is a sign of weakness, and those who ask for advice will never become great writers."

This was the advice that Argentine novelist, Julio Cortazar, gave to aspiring writers during his recorded interview for the Archive of Hispanic Literature on Tape of the Library of Congress in 1975. The Hispanic Division of the Library remembers the author today on his 100th birthday.

The Archive of Hispanic Literature on Tape (AHLOT) is an extensive audio archive has collected close to 700 recordings of the most prominent poets, novelists and essayists from the Luso-Hispanic world reading from their works. Cortazar's recordings and the entire collection is accessible in the Hispanic Reading Room of the historic Thomas Jefferson building of the Library. To find out more about Julio Cortazar's writing consult the Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS) (http://hlasopac.loc.gov).

The Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress, established in 1939, is a center for the study of the cultures and societies of the Iberian Peninsula, Latin America, the Caribbean, and other areas with significant Spanish or Portuguese influence. For more information about the Division's resources and programs, visit www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic.

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Science study: Sunlight, not microbes, key to CO2 in Arctic

08/21/2014

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The vast reservoir of carbon stored in Arctic permafrost is gradually being converted to carbon dioxide (CO2) after entering the freshwater system in a process thought to be controlled largely by microbial activity.

However, a new study – funded by the National Science Foundation and published this week in the journal Science – concludes that sunlight and not bacteria is the key to triggering the production of CO2 from material released by Arctic soils.

The finding is particularly important, scientists say, because climate change could affect when and how permafrost is thawed, which begins the process of converting the organic carbon into CO2.

"Arctic permafrost contains about half of all the organic carbon trapped in soil on the entire Earth – and equals an amount twice of that in the atmosphere," said Byron Crump, an Oregon State University microbial ecologist and co-author on the Science study. "This represents a major change in thinking about how the carbon cycle works in the Arctic."

Converting soil carbon to carbon dioxide is a two-step process, notes Rose Cory, an assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Michigan, and lead author on the study. First, the permafrost soil has to thaw and then bacteria must turn the carbon into greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide or methane. While much of this conversion process takes place in the soil, a large amount of carbon is washed out of the soils and into rivers and lakes, she said.

"It turns out, that in Arctic rivers and lakes, sunlight is faster than bacteria at turning organic carbon into CO2," Cory said. "This new understanding is really critical because if we want to get the right answer about how the warming Arctic may feedback to influence the rest of the world, we have to understand the controls on carbon cycling.

"In other words, if we only consider what the bacteria are doing, we'll get the wrong answer about how much CO2 may eventually be released from Arctic soils," Cory added.

The research team measured the speed at which both bacteria and sunlight converted dissolved organic carbon into carbon dioxide in all types of rivers and lakes in the Alaskan Arctic, from glacial-fed rivers draining the Brooks Range to tannin-stained lakes on the coastal plain. Measuring these processes is important, the scientists noted, because bacteria types and activities are variable and the amount of sunlight that reaches the carbon sources can differ by body of water.

In virtually all of the freshwater systems they measured, however, sunlight was always faster than bacteria at converting the organic carbon into CO2.

"This is because most of the fresh water in the Arctic is shallow, meaning sunlight can reach the bottom of any river – and most lakes – so that no dissolved organic carbon is kept in the dark," said Crump, an associate professor in Oregon State's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. "Also, there is little shading of rivers and lakes in the Arctic because there are no trees."

Another factor limiting the microbial contribution is that bacteria grow more slowly in these cold, nutrient-rich waters.

"Light, therefore, can have a tremendous effect on organic matter," University of Michigan's Cory pointed out.

The source of all of this organic carbon is primarily tundra plants – and it has been building up for hundreds of thousands of years, but doesn't completely break down immediately because of the Arctic's cold temperatures. Once the plant material gets deep enough into the soil, the degradation stops and it becomes preserved, much like peat.

"The level of thawing only gets to be a foot deep or so, even in the summer," Crump said. "Right now, the thaw begins not long before the summer solstice. If the seasons begin to shift with climate change – and the thaw begins earlier, exposing the organic carbon from permafrost to more sunlight – it could potentially trigger the release of more CO2."

The science community has not yet been able to accurately calculate how much organic carbon from the permafrost is being converted into CO2, and thus it will be difficult to monitor potential changes because of climate change, they acknowledge.

"We have to assume that as more material thaws and enters Arctic lakes and rivers, more will be converted to CO2," Crump said. "The challenge is how to quantify that."

Some of the data for the study was made available through the National Science Foundation's Arctic Long-Term Ecological Research project, which has operated in the Arctic for nearly 30 years.

Other authors on the study are Collin Ward and George Kling of the University of Michigan.

About the OSU College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences: CEOAS is internationally recognized for its faculty, research and facilities, including state-of-the-art computing infrastructure to support real-time ocean/atmosphere observation and prediction. The college is a leader in the study of the Earth as an integrated system, providing scientific understanding to address complex environmental challenges.

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Flag Officer Assignments

The Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert announced today the following assignments:

Rear Adm. (lower half) Jeffrey A. Harley, selected for the rank of rear admiral, will be assigned as assistant deputy chief of naval operations for Operations, Plans, and Strategy, N3/N5B, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, District of Columbia. Harley is currently serving as president, Board of Inspection and Survey, Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Michael E. Smith will be assigned as president, Board of Inspection and Survey, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Smith is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group Three, Bremerton, Washington.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Ronald A. Boxall will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Three, Bremerton, Washington. Boxall is currently serving as deputy director, Joint Strategic Planning, J5, Joint Staff, Washington, District of Columbia.

Capt. Dawn E. Cutler, selected for the rank of rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as Navy chief of information, Washington, District of Columbia. Cutler is currently serving as Navy deputy chief of information, Washington, District of Columbia.
 

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Grant Funds Help Youth Learn Environmental Skills at Lowell, Mass. Water Treatment Plant

Boston – EPA grant funding has helped facilitate the opportunity for five area youths to learn critical environmental protection techniques at the Lowell, Mass. Regional Wastewater Utility.  The program has occurred for 23 out of the past 25 summers. Using the EPA grant of $43,000, part of which is used for this summer educational opportunity, the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) oversees the program.

Since 1990, EPA's Youth and the Environment Program has focused on introducing economically disadvantaged inner city youth to career opportunities in the environmental field. The program promotes environmental education and provides high school students with increased awareness of protecting the environment and water quality within their own communities.

At the Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility this summer, five local high school students work at several "stations" (e.g. laboratory, pretreatment, maintenance, process control, etc.) on a rotational basis so that they are exposed to some of the many facets involved with the proper operation of a wastewater treatment plant on an everyday basis. The program has provided the students with an understanding of chemical risks, minimizing the use of toxic substances, public health threats, and proper safety procedures working at a wastewater treatment plant and within the collection system. Students become familiar with potential hazards as they relate to environmental management, treatment and pumping, and water quality monitoring. The students also participate in field trips related to science and water quality, along with college career counseling.

"EPA is very gratified to work so closely for so long with NEIWPCC, the Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility and the Career Center of Lowell to make this summer job program available for economically disadvantaged youth," said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA's New England office. "This innovative program helps introduce young people to a possible career path that is also a great benefit to their local community."

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