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Allyson Kelley, Rocky Mountain College, American Indian Affairs,
Project Director, MICCP CARE Project http://cobalt.rocky.edu/~CARE/
The Healthy Schools Hero Award 2008 goes to a TEAM of five people who demonstrate how state and federal agencies can take leadership for school safety. Nomination by Randy Brown, of the US EPA, Region 8 (8P-TA), Tribal Assistance Program, Denver, CO
- Matthew Langenfeld, US EPA, Region 8, School Chemical Cleanout Coordinator
- Allyson Kelley, Rocky Mountain College American Indian Affairs, Project Director
- Brian Spangler, Montana Department of Environmental Quality
- Bonnie Rouse , Montana Department of Environmental Quality
- Bruce Hayes, Wyoming Department of Education
Randy Brown writes:
Allyson Kelley has consistently gone above and beyond all expectation to remove toxic and hazardous chemicals from tribal schools and schools with high Indian population. Allyson is passionate and very successful with tribal school chemical cleanout activities. Removing chemicals from these schools prevent eventual release to air, water, and soil. All chemicals collected are listed on a hazardous waste manifest and transported for appropriate disposal at a Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility (TSDF) according to land ban restrictions. Some recent examples of the extraordinary work completed by Allyson are included as follows.
TRIBAL SCHOOL CHEMICAL CLEANOUT, NORTHERN CHEYENNE INDIAN RESERVATION AND CROW RESERVATION: Allyson worked directly with representatives of the collaborative team of Northern Cheyenne Tribe, Crow Tribe, EPA, Hardin Public Schools, and Rocky Mountain College (RMC) to assess school chemical cleanout needs at Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Crow Reservation, and high Indian population schools in Hardin Montana during the spring of 2007. A total of 8 schools, Chief Dull Knife College, and the Boys and Girls Club were assessed. Incompatible chemical storage of a strong oxidizer in a flammable cabinet was immediately corrected. Numerous toxic chemicals including potassium cyanide, mercury, mercuric chloride, arsenic trichloride, arsenic trioxide, ammonium hydroxide, bromine water, acetaldehyde, toluene, benzene, tetrahydrofuran, and carbon tetrachloride were located and added to the schools inventory for future disposal.
TRIBAL SCHOOL CHEMICAL CLEANOUT, NORTHERN CHEYENNE INDIAN RESERVATION: Allyson worked directly with representatives from the collaborative team of EPA, and Rocky Mountain College (RMC) to arrange for collection and proper disposal of toxic and hazardous chemicals from Chief Dull Knife College, and the Boys and Girls Club in Lame Deer, Montana on August 23, 2007. Numerous toxic chemicals including potassium cyanide, mercuric chloride, mercuric oxide, acetaldehyde, naphthalene, sodium hydroxide, phosphoric acid, ammonium nitrate and lithographic chemicals containing polyvinyl alcohol, glycol ethers, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, and solvents were collected by a hazardous waste broker. A total of 1,320 pounds of chemicals were manifested and shipped for disposal. Funding for disposal was leveraged by Allyson from a Montana Indian Country CARE Project with RMC. This work would not have been completed without Allyson's constant attention and commitment.
INDIAN COUNTRY SCHOOL CHEMICAL CLEANOUT: CROW INDIAN RESERVATION: Through An EPA Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC) grant to the Rocky Mountain College, American Indian Affairs, Allyson Kelley has helped clean out hazardous chemicals from the Plenty Coups High School in Pryor, Montana during the Fall of 2007. In collaboration with the school and Region 8's Pollution Prevention and Toxics Unit, Rocky Mountain College arranged for collection and proper disposal of toxic and hazardous chemicals. Numerous toxic chemicals including lead sulfide, nitrate, and acetate; silver nitrate and chloride; mercury; potassium chromate; barium hydroxide and chloride; and ethylene glycol were collected by a hazardous waste broker. A total of 158 pounds of chemicals were manifested and shipped for disposal, making the Plenty Coups High School safer for its 65 Indian school children.
SCHOOL CHEMICAL CLEANOUT - NORTHERN CHEYENNE TRIBAL SCHOOLS, NORTHERN CHEYENNE RESERVATION: Allyson Kelley with EPA Region 8, through a grant to the Rocky Mountain College, cleaned out hazardous and toxic chemicals from the Elementary, Middle, and High Schools in Busby, Montana during the Winter of 2007. Chemicals included tetrahydrofuran; toluene; ethylbenzene; xylene; potassium chlorate; nitric, hydrochloric, and sulfuric acid; ammonium and potassium hydroxide; and formaldehyde. Waste paint, maintenance chemicals, and used oil, were also collected. A total of 4,038 pounds of chemicals were manifested/shipped for disposal by a hazardous waste broker.
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