EPA Press Office:

EPA Calls for Nominations for 2025 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards

WASHINGTON -- Today, Aug. 29, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards from companies or institutions that have developed a new green chemistry process or product that helps protect human health and the environment. EPA's efforts to speed the adoption of this revolutionary and diverse discipline have led to significant environmental benefits, innovation and a strengthened economy. The awards program highlights green chemistry that helps prevent pollution before it is even created, making it a preferred approach for providing solutions to some of the nation's most significant environmental challenges.

“Green chemistry is an important way to create products that prevent waste and increase resource efficiency. In recent years, we've seen tremendous innovation in transforming how we can more effectively use renewable feedstock, agricultural waste and bio-based proteins,” said EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pollution Prevention Jennie Romer. “The Green Chemistry Challenge Awards spotlight cutting edge technologies and show us how green chemistry will continue to protect our environment and ensure we all have cleaner air and water.”

The 2025 competition includes six award categories, including a category to recognize green chemistry technology that can prevent or reduce greenhouse gas emissions and a category that debuted last year to emphasize circularity through the design of greener chemicals and materials that can be continuously reused or remanufactured - thereby reducing waste.

Nominations are due to EPA by Dec. 13, 2024. An independent panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute will formally judge the 2025 nominations and make recommendations to EPA for the 2025 winners. EPA anticipates announcing awards to outstanding green chemistry technologies in fall 2025.

Additionally, EPA is announcing a webinar to be held on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, from 2-3 p.m. ET, to educate stakeholders on the Green Chemistry Challenge Awards and the nomination process. Register for the webinar.

Since the inception of the awards more than a quarter century ago, EPA has received more than 1,800 nominations and presented awards for 139 technologies that decrease hazardous chemicals and resources, reduce costs, protect human health and spur economic growth. Previous winners of the awards include a company that developed a textile dying process that dramatically reduces the use of water, energy, dyes and chemicals compared to traditional dyeing methods, and a university professor who designed a way to refine agricultural waste into materials like lithium-ion batteries which are important for the transition to green energy.

Winning technologies are responsible for annually reducing the use or generation of hundreds of millions of pounds of hazardous chemicals, saving billions of gallons of water and eliminating billions of pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents.

More information on past award winners and how to submit entries can be found on EPA’s Green Chemistry website.

For further information: Contact: EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Region 3 and Four Manufactured Home Communities Settle Wastewater Treatment Cases in Ann Arundel County, Maryland with $1.1 million in penalties

Settlement protects waters leading to the Chesapeake Bay

PHILADELPHIA (Aug. 29, 2024) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today a final settlement over alleged violations related to wastewater treatment plants with Manufactured Home Community (MHC) management company Horizon Land Management, LLC (Horizon), and four of the MHCs it manages located in Lothian and Harwood, Maryland. Horizon is the managing agent for over 170 MHCs across the country. 

Through four administrative consent agreements with EPA, Horizon and the four MHCs—Boone’s Estates MHC, LLC, Lyons Creek MHC, LLC, Maryland Manor MHC, LLC and Patuxent MHC, LLC—will pay a combined total of $1,136,162 in penalties for alleged Clean Water Act violations associated with discharges from their wastewater treatment plants into local waterways, including suspended solids, nitrogen, dissolved oxygen and E. coli.  From January 2019 to October 2023, Boone’s had 194 exceedances of permit limits, Lyons Creek had 50 exceedances, Maryland Manor had 33 exceedances, and Patuxent had 38 exceedances.  These exceedances introduce illegal pollutants into the Patuxent River and its tributaries, negatively impacting water quality in those water bodies, which flow to the Chesapeake Bay.

The four MHCs are located in potential Environmental Justice Areas of Concern, and experience other environmental stressors from other industrial activity.  Maintenance of the wastewater treatment plants in each community was neglected for years.  In December 2023, EPA Region 3 entered into four Administrative Orders on Consent for Horizon and the MHCs to repair and improve the maintenance of each wastewater treatment plant to bring the plants back into compliance with their permits.

EPA Region 3 worked in conjunction with the Maryland Department of the Environment to address these cases. 

This settlement also furthers EPA’s obligation to reduce significant noncompliance and improve surface water quality by addressing unauthorized discharges and other violations that may impact public health and the environment. 

For more information about the Clean Water Act permit program, visit www.epa.gov/npdes.

 EPA Press Office:

EPA $1 Million Climate Resilience Grant to Support South Bronx Communities 

NEW YORK (August 29, 2024) – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency celebrated the selection of the Bronx River Alliance in partnership Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice for a $1 million grant. EPA will provide the funding through the Community Change Grants Program that helps environmentally overburdened communities tackle environmental and climate justice challenges. Made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the Community Change Grants Program is the single largest investment in environmental and climate justice in history.  

EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia joined Bronx River Alliance Executive Director Siddhartha Sánchez and Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice Executive Director David Shuffler for a walking tour in the Bronx to highlight the transformative impact of this funding, which will establish a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force. 

"Today we are celebrating the Bronx River Alliance and the entire Bronx as this community change grant will benefit the whole borough and strengthen environmental justice partnerships through the creation of a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. "The new taskforce will embody the very heart, culture and grit of the community to take action against climate change, and build a more resilient Bronx. EPA is happy to help partner, support and fund this great initiative."  

“This critical federal grant, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act I led to passage, will help the Bronx River Alliance, in partnership with Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, convene a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force that will ensure disadvantaged communities in the Bronx have a voice in climate justice projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “I’m proud to have fought for the Inflation Reduction Act, the single largest investment in environmental and climate justice in history, and for funding opportunities like this, to give environmentally over-burdened communities a boost in the urgent fight against climate change.”   

“For far too long, communities across the Bronx have faced various environmental and climate justice challenges,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “The new Community Change Grants Program provides critically-needed support to finally address these injustices, and I am thrilled that Bronx River Alliance, in partnership with Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, has been selected to receive this $1 million grant through this program to help boost climate resiliency in the Bronx. I’m proud to have fought to deliver this funding through the Inflation Reduction Act and will continue fighting for federal resources to support organizations working to advance environmental justice.” 

“For over 30 years Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, Inc. has been on the frontline fighting back the negative impacts of climate change, and pushing forward creative initiatives to mitigate climate change. Today, marks a monumental opportunity for Bronx communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the effects of Climate Change. By convening a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force Bronx communities will be able to come together to collectively look at issues that impact their community and develop proposals to address those issues.  YMPJ is thankful to the EPA for this funding opportunity and grateful for the Bronx River Alliance to take lead in this partnership,” said Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice Executive Director David Shuffler.
 
"Bronx Council for Environmental Quality (BCEQ) has been raising the alarm about Bronx environmental issues for over 50 years. As one of the earliest supporters of the Bronx River Alliance we are confident that the Alliance, along with Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, will make sure that Bronx voices for climate justice are heard loud and clear," said Board Member Dart Westphal. 

“South Bronx Unite extends our heartfelt congratulations to Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice and the Bronx River Alliance on being selected for the EPA's climate resilience planning grant," said Mychal Johnson, Co-Founder of South Bronx Unite.  

"This grant underscores the ongoing leadership and commitment of these two powerhouse organizations advancing environmental justice and resilience in the South Bronx. Together, we are building a stronger, more sustainable future,” said Founding Member and Advisory Board Member Mychal Johnson. 

"The Harlem River Working Group applauds the announcement that the EPA selected the Bronx River Alliance as a recipient of President Biden’s EPA Community Change awards. The Bronx River Alliance has long been a leader for Environmental Justice in our borough and by utilizing these funds to convene communities throughout the Bronx into a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force, the Alliance is helping address both historic and current gaps in equitable funding and mitigating critical environmental and climate injustices throughout a borough of 1.5 million residents. The Harlem River Working Group celebrates investments that strengthen the Bronx's resilience to climate change through catalytic ecological restoration projects," said Project Coordinator Chauncy Young. 

EPA selected the Bronx River Alliance with Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice as a partner to receive almost $1 million to convene a Bronx Climate Justice Task Force to ensure that communities have a voice in decisions made that will shape the future of climate resiliency in the Bronx. The taskforce will ensure that disadvantaged communities in the Bronx can fully participate in planning and implementation decisions about coastal adaptation, habitat restoration, and related local, state, and federal infrastructure projects. 

Bronx River Alliance is among the first round of selections for the historic $2 billion dollar Community Change Grants Program. The innovative rolling application process will ensure that applicants have ample time to prepare and take advantage of this historic resource. The Community Change Grants Program Notice of Funding Opportunity, administered through EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, is still accepting applications through November 21, 2024. EPA will continue to review applications and announce selections on a rolling basis.  

The Community Change Grants also deliver on President Biden’s commitment to advance equity and justice throughout the United States through his Justice40 Initiative to ensure that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments go to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.   

See the full listing of the initial 21 organizations receiving a CCGP grant and learn more about CCGP. 

The Community Change Grants Program is still accepting applications through November 21, 2024, so EPA encourages applicants to submit applications as soon as they completely meet the Notice of Funding Opportunity requirements. EPA will make additional selections on a rolling basis for the remainder of 2024. 

Read the Community Change Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity. 

Learn more about the Community Change Grants and Technical Assistance. 

Learn more about environmental justice at EPA. 

For up-to-date information about the NOFO, including information on the webinars, subscribe to the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights’ listserv by sending a blank email to: join-epa-ej@lists.epa.gov.  

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): @EPAEnvJustice.   

Follow EPA Region 2 on X and visit our Facebook page. For more information about EPA Region 2, visit our website. 

24-067 

For further information: Contact: Carlos Vega, (646) 988-2996, vega.carlos@epa.gov

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Awards Nearly $1.5 Million to Clarkson University to Develop and Demonstrate Technology to Detect and Degrade PFAS

WASHINGTON – Today, August 27, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing $1,499,979 in research funding to Clarkson University to develop and demonstrate nanosensor technology to detect, monitor and degrade PFAS in groundwater and surface water that may be used as drinking water sources.

“Advances in nanosensor technology can lead to innovative approaches and critical solutions for PFAS removal,” said Chris Frey, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “This research grant will improve our ability to find and address PFAS, which will in turn better protect communities and the environment from PFAS exposures.”

PFAS are a group of manufactured chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products since the 1940s because of their useful properties. There are thousands of different PFAS, some of which have been more widely used and studied than others. Perfluorooctanoic Acid and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate, for example, are two of the most widely used and studied chemicals in the PFAS group. PFOA and PFOS have been replaced in the United States with other PFAS in recent years. One common characteristic of concern of PFAS is that many break down very slowly and can build up in people, animals and the environment over time.

With this research funding, the team at Clarkson University will develop a new portable nanosensing technology, developed as a stand-alone unit with interchangeable sensing and degradation units, to rapidly estimate the level of PFAS exposure, degrade the PFAS and measure the effectiveness of remediation efforts. The project team will create, validate and put into practice this integrated nanosensor technology for measuring and destroying PFAS in wastewater and groundwater.

Learn more about the project.

Learn more about EPA research grants.

For further information: Contact: EPA Press Office (pres@epa.gov)

 EPA Press Office:

EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office selects Khesha Reed as permanent Deputy Director

PHILADELPHIA (Aug. 27, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Khesha Reed as the permanent Deputy Director for EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office (CBPO), located in Annapolis, Maryland, where she has been the Acting Deputy Director since April 2024. During this time, she has focused on strengthening administrative processes of the office, as well as serving as the liaison to the Local Government Advisory Committee.

Reed has been with the agency for more than twenty years, holding several senior leadership positions. Prior to joining CBPO, she was the Deputy Director of the Standards and Health Protection Division in the Office of Science and Technology within the Office of Water (OW).  Khesha oversaw administrative, budget operations and human capital planning for the office.  In addition, she led an internal workgroup responsible for coordinating with the Food and Drug Administration on issuing advice about fish consumption.

Before OW, Khesha was the Deputy Director of the Office of Children’s Health.  The office is responsible for ensuring that all EPA activities, including regulations, policies, research, and outreach appropriately consider children’s environmental health issues.  Khesha led the office’s strategic planning activities and was the coordinator for external audits.

Khesha received her B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Delaware and her M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

For more information about the Chesapeake Bay Program Office, visit our Chesapeake Bay website.

 EPA Press Office:

EPA releases 2-year milestone evaluations on Chesapeake Bay cleanup effort; cites challenges, progress and potential

PHILADELPHIA (Aug. 14, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the results of its evaluation of the Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions’ two-year milestones today, noting that although most of the Bay states are behind, they are catching up to meet the 2025 water quality restoration goals, 2023 saw new significant successes at the state level that will improve the restoration trajectory. The two-year milestone reports are prepared by the Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions – Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. These reports represent key check-in points on the way to having all pollutant reduction measures in place by 2025, a goal established by the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) partnership. The CBP partnership is composed of the seven Bay jurisdictions, and dozens of local governments, federal partners, organizations and academic institutions. Watershed-wide, the partnership continues to make incremental progress toward the 2025 Goal. The partnership has already implemented practices to achieve 100% of the targeted sediment reductions, and practices are in place to achieve 57% of the nitrogen reductions and 67% of the phosphorus reductions. However, more progress is needed to meet the 2025 nitrogen and phosphorus targets. Successes to highlight in water quality efforts include Pennsylvania and Virginia increasing the reductions achieved from the agriculture sector in 2023, and partners continuing to invest in accelerating implementation​. EPA is helping lead the partnership in discussions about the efforts beyond 2025 and how we move forward in meeting the needs of the Bay ecosystem and the people in the Bay watershed. "Enforcement, engagement, investments & accountability - these efforts have helped us accelerate progress across the Bay and in all sectors - especially agriculture," said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. "The dedication of all our partners working together is paying off and making a difference in the Bay watershed."  "By analyzing the monitoring data in 2023 we can see the Chesapeake Bay improving in most areas of the watershed," said Bill Dennison, professor and vice president at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. "This improvement is a testament to efforts to reduce nutrients through a variety of reduction strategies while enhancing riparian buffers throughout the watershed.” For more details on the milestone reports and ongoing Bay cleanup efforts, visit our Chesapeake Bay website.

 EPA Press Office:

EPA New England celebrates major milestone at Somersworth Superfund Site

Groundbreaking for the construction of a solar farm on reclaimed land is a first of its kind for New Hampshire

Contact Information: JoAnne Kittrell, (617) 918-1822, kittrell.joanne@epa.gov  SOMERSWORTH, NH (Aug. 12, 2024) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined Congressman Chris Pappas and the City of Somersworth to celebrate the groundbreaking for construction of a new solar array at the site of the former Somersworth Sanitary Landfill. This is the first time in New Hampshire that a portion of a Superfund site has been redeveloped into a solar farm. By having a portion of this site become a solar farm it upholds a key goal of the Superfund Program, to return Superfund sites to productive use. The Biden-Harris administration has set out to creating a cleaner and greener future for the country, with special consideration being taken for communities with environmental justice concerns.   The 2,577 kW-DC / 1,992 kW-AC solar PV project is expected to generate 3,523,443 kWh in Year 1 and more than 67 million kWh over the next 20 years. This renewable energy will positively impact hundreds of peoples in the Somersworth community.    “We applaud the site team for their diligent work to clean up this portion of the site – and recognize the transformative decision of the City of Somersworth to repair the harm and invest in the health of their community and environment,” said EPA New England Chief of Staff Sanjay Seth. “We thank our state and federal partners for their resolve and dedication to help make this project happen.” “Making smart investments in our clean energy infrastructure is a critical step to ensuring we continue to lower costs for Granite Staters while putting our nation on the road to a more sustainable energy future,” said U.S. Representative Chris Pappas. “I was glad to join federal, state, and local partners in Somersworth this afternoon to break ground on the future sight of this new solar array. By safely and responsibly repurposing a former landfill site, we are protecting the health and safety of our communities and environment while strengthening our clean energy infrastructure in the Seacoast. I remain committed to lowering the cost of energy and creating a clean energy future here in New Hampshire.” “Superfund sites, like the former Somersworth Sanitary Landfill, present unique challenges for Granite State communities and are often left vacant despite their high potential for redevelopment,” said U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen. “I’m thrilled that with the help of federal funding from the Biden-Harris Administration, the City of Somersworth is breaking ground on a solar farm that will both repurpose their former landfill and also provide clean energy to the community.” “New Hampshire is continuing to modernize our infrastructure, including through building a new solar array at the former Somersworth Landfill,” said U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan. “This new solar array will help our state build a clean energy future that will also help lower energy costs – and by finding a way to make use of this unoccupied land, is another example of New Hampshire’s innovation and ingenuity.” “This Solar project is an important step towards increasing sustainability efforts in our Somersworth Community and aligns with other similar efforts in our Region and in our State,” said City of Somersworth Mayor Matt Gerding. “It is important that we collectively welcome green energy as another element of our collective energy portfolio. On behalf of the City of Somersworth, I want to express our excitement for this long-awaited groundbreaking as it repurposes City-owned land that otherwise had very limited use. I want to express my appreciation and sincere thanks for all the hard work, effort, and collaboration put forth by our City Council and City staff with Ameresco in reaching this public-private partnership that resulted in bringing this important Solar project to fruition. I also want to acknowledge the assistance of our regulatory partners, staff from the US EPA and NH DES, in their steadfast participation and support in moving this project to reality.” EPA will continue to work with the City of Somersworth to monitor the site.   Information about the site and contact information if you have questions can be found at: www.epa.gov/superfund/somersworth.    Background   The Site is located on Blackwater Road, about 1 mile southwest of the center of the City of Somersworth in Strafford County, New Hampshire. The Site is the location of a former sanitary landfill that accepted municipal and industrial wastes from the mid-1930s to 1981. Waste-burning activities also occurred on-site until 1958. The 26-acre landfill is located north of Blackwater Road and drains west to Peters Marsh Brook and an adjacent wetland. Waste disposal activities at the landfill resulted in contamination of groundwater with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including chlorinated ethenes.  After landfill activities ended at the Site in 1981, the City of Somersworth installed monitoring wells at the Site and identified VOC contamination in Site groundwater. As a result of the contamination, EPA added the Site to the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. The site’s 1994 cleanup plan included use of an innovative chemical treatment wall (CTW) to detoxify VOCs as the groundwater flows through the wall, with a final cap to be determined after cleanup. Construction of the CTW finished in 2000. A permeable soil cover, which allows precipitation to flush contaminants from the landfill through the CTW, plus an infiltration gallery and a bedrock extraction well, which both help in the flushing of the contaminated groundwater, were completed in 2001. The City of Somersworth owns the landfill property and much of the wetland areas northwest of the landfill. Reuse at the Site after landfill closure began in 1978 when the city redeveloped approximately 10 acres of the eastern portion of the landfill into a recreation area, which included ball fields and basketball courts. Use of these recreation facilities was discontinued in 2011, except for a paved basketball court on the southern fringe of the landfill. The Site remained largely unused until the solar array project that breaks ground August 12, 2024. # # #   Learn more about EPA Region 1: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-1-new-england

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Seeks Input on Microbial and Disinfection Byproducts NPDWRs Rulemaking Revisions

WASHINGTON – Today, August 9, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency invites small public water systems to participate as Small Entity Representatives (SERs) providing advice and recommendations to a Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel. Building on past extensive EPA engagement with stakeholders, this SBAR Panel will focus on the agency’s development of potential revisions to one or more of the current Microbial and Disinfection Byproducts (MDBP) National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs), including Stage 1 and Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rules (D/DBPRs); Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR); Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (IESWTR); and Long-Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT1).

These NPWDRs are a series of interrelated regulations that protect drinking water from microbes, disinfectants, and/or disinfection byproducts (DBPs). The rule revisions are intended to improve existing regulations based on new information on health effects, treatment technologies, analytical methods, occurrence and exposure, and implementation as determined in EPA’s third Six Year Review.

EPA has determined that revisions to the SWTRs would further reduce exposure to microbial pathogens including Cryptosporidium, Giardia lamblia, Legionella, and viruses in drinking water, which have been linked to diseases including gastrointestinal illness (such as diarrhea, vomiting, and cramps) and Legionnaire's Disease. EPA is also considering revisions to the D/DBPRs that intend to further limit exposure to DBPs, which can form in water when disinfectants used to control microbial pathogens react with natural and human-caused materials found in source water and have been linked to adverse health outcomes.

The Regulatory Flexibility Act requires agencies to establish an SBAR Panel for rules that may have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. The SBAR Panel will include federal representatives from the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and EPA. The Panel members ask a selected group of SERs to provide advice and recommendations on behalf of their company, government, or organization to inform the Panel members about potential impacts of the proposed rule on small entities.

EPA seeks self-nominations directly from the small entities that may be subject to the rule requirements. Other representatives, such as trade associations that exclusively or at least primarily represent potentially regulated small entities, may also serve as SERs.

Self-nominations may be submitted through the link below and must be received by August 23, 2024.

Nominate yourself as a SER.

Learn more information about the MDBP rule revisions.

For further information: EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

 EPA Press Office:

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Label Program to Bolster U.S. Manufacturing of Cleaner Construction Materials

Program will support the Administration’s initiative to “Buy Clean” construction materials from U.S. manufacturers as part of the Investing in America Agenda

WASHINGTON – Today, Aug. 7, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its plan for implementing a new label program to boost clean American manufacturing by helping federal purchasers and other buyers find and buy cleaner, more climate-friendly construction materials and products.  The label program is made possible by a $100 million investment in the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and aims to cut climate pollution linked to the production of construction products and materials, which accounts for more than 15% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. The Inflation Reduction Act invests billions of dollars to reduce industrial emissions while supporting good union jobs, greater equity, and a strong manufacturing base, including $350 million to support EPA’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from construction materials.

“Thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, America has an opportunity to lead the world in developing cleaner construction materials to cut climate pollution and reap unprecedented economic opportunities,” said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff. “By clearly labeling what ‘buy clean’ means for products like concrete, glass and steel, EPA will help accelerate demand for these materials and continue to build the clean energy economy.” 

“The Inflation Reduction Act is the most significant carbon-cutting piece of legislation in history,” said Elliot Doomes, Commissioner of the Public Buildings Service at the U.S. General Services Administration. “GSA is proud to work with the EPA, other government agencies, and private industry to use our buying power to drive the development of more sustainable building materials, create good-paying jobs, and lower operating costs for the American taxpayer. This program will accelerate our efforts to achieve a net zero federal footprint and catalyze American innovation.”

“The use of lower carbon materials, that have the durability of conventional materials while lowering greenhouse gas emissions, is one pathway that FHWA is pursing to help us achieve President Biden’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050,” said Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Associate Administrator for Infrastructure Hari Kalla. “EPA’s announcement today supports transportation agencies throughout the country with tools to ensure we are appropriately implementing low carbon materials.”

Today’s announcement builds on EPA’s selection of 38 organizations in July to collectively receive nearly $160 million to help businesses develop Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which report climate pollution linked to the production of construction materials and products. These efforts will bolster the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers, which are among the cleanest in the world in key sectors.

The label program will define what constitutes “clean” construction materials in support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Federal Buy Clean Initiative, which aims to grow the market and reward innovation for American-made, lower-carbon construction materials. EPA anticipates that labeling requirements for each product type will be periodically reviewed and updated every two to four years to respond to and drive market shifts and help users meet sustainability objectives. The Inflation Reduction Act also provides more than $2 billion to the General Services Administration to use clean materials in the construction and renovation of federal buildings and $2 billion to the Federal Highway Administration to incentivize or reimburse the use of clean construction materials in transportation projects. Federal purchasing plays a significant role in industries like concrete, as federally funded government purchases account for more than 50% of all concrete poured in the U.S. every year. Materials and products that earn the new label will be listed in a central, publicly accessible registry, making it easier to identify - and purchase - these materials.

EPA’s label program will prioritize steel, glass, asphalt and concrete, as there are significant opportunities to reduce climate pollution from these materials and they represent the vast majority of construction materials and products that government agencies purchase with federal funds.

EPA also issued several supporting documents to help implement the label program, including Product Category Rule (PCR) Criteria – guidelines for developing EPDs, the disclosures that communicate climate and other environmental impacts of products. Other documents published today outline key remaining data gaps, provide a methodology for assessing life cycle data quality, and describe other federal data quality improvement activities.

EPA developed the Label Program Approach and PCR Criteria with input from stakeholders, including the Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, the General Services Administration, the Department of Defense, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other federal agencies. The agency also considered public comments solicited through Notices of Availability published in the Federal Register earlier this year and a 2023 Request for Information.

EPA will continue to seek stakeholder input on the ongoing development and implementation of this program. Next, EPA will request input on the draft conformity assessment system, which is a rigorous process for verifying a product or material has earned the label. EPA will also request input on the first draft product type threshold(s), which will set standards to determine which construction materials and products will be eligible to carry the label based on information from EPDs and other data sources. Manufacturers that are planning to apply for EPA’s label and want guidance in measuring the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their materials and products can contact EPA at embodiedcarbon@epa.gov or visit our website.

Learn more about the label program.

For further information: EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Issues Emergency Order to Stop Use of Pesticide Dacthal to Address Serious Health Risk

WASHINGTON – Today, Aug. 6, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing the emergency suspension of all registrations of the pesticide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA or Dacthal) under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). This is the first time in almost 40 years EPA has taken this type of emergency action, following several years of unprecedented efforts by the Biden-Harris Administration to require the submission of long-overdue data and then assess and address the risk this pesticide poses.

EPA has taken this action because unborn babies whose pregnant mothers are exposed to DCPA, sometimes without even knowing the exposure has occurred, could experience changes to fetal thyroid hormone levels, and these changes are generally linked to low birth weight, impaired brain development, decreased IQ, and impaired motor skills later in life, some of which may be irreversible.

“DCPA is so dangerous that it needs to be removed from the market immediately,” said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff. “It’s EPA’s job to protect people from exposure to dangerous chemicals. In this case, pregnant women who may never even know they were exposed could give birth to babies that experience irreversible lifelong health problems. That’s why for the first time in almost 40 years, EPA is using its emergency suspension authority to stop the use of a pesticide.”

“Farmworkers face burdensome conditions in the fields and often face exposure to harmful pesticides while working to feed our nation. I applaud the emergency action by the EPA which prioritizes farmworker health and safety, especially for pregnant women, by suspending this harmful chemical from our agricultural systems. We must continue to build on this progress and ensure all farmworkers are given the protection, worker’s rights, and overtime pay they deserve,” said Congressman Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07).

“Alianza is pleased to see the EPA make this historic decision.  As an organization led by farmworker women, we know intimately the harm that pesticides, including dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA or Dacthal), can inflict on our bodies and communities.  This emergency decision is a great first step that we hope will be in a series of others that are based on listening to farmworkers, protecting our reproductive health, and safeguarding our families,” said Mily Treviño Sauceda, Executive Director of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas.

Background on DCPA and Biden-Harris Administration Efforts to Assess and Address Risks

DCPA is a pesticide registered to control weeds in both agricultural and non-agricultural settings, but is primarily used on crops such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and onions. DCPA is currently undergoing registration review, a process that requires reevaluating registered pesticides every 15 years to ensure they cause no unreasonable adverse effects on human health or the environment.

In deciding whether to issue today’s Emergency Order, EPA consulted with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to understand how growers use DCPA and alternatives to this pesticide. In 2013, the agency issued a Data Call-In (DCI) to AMVAC Chemical Corporation, the sole manufacturer of DCPA, requiring it to submit more than 20 studies to support the existing registrations of DCPA. The required data included a comprehensive study of the effects of DCPA on thyroid development and function in adults and in developing young before and after birth, that was due by January 2016. Several of the studies that AMVAC submitted from 2013-2021 were considered insufficient to address the DCI, while the thyroid study and other studies were not submitted at all.

In April 2022, EPA issued a very rarely used Notice of Intent to Suspend the DCPA technical-grade product (used to manufacture end-use products) based on AMVAC’s failure to submit the complete set of required data for almost 10 years, including the thyroid study. While AMVAC submitted the required thyroid study in August 2022, EPA suspended the registration based solely on AMVAC’s continued failure to submit other outstanding data on Aug. 22, 2023, following an administrative hearing.  In November 2023, the data submission suspension was lifted after AMVAC submitted sufficient data. Most DCPA use on turf was voluntarily canceled by AMVAC in December 2023, but unacceptable risks from other uses remained.

In May 2023, EPA released its assessment on the risks of occupational and residential exposure to products containing DCPA, following its analysis of the thyroid study submitted by AMVAC. The assessment found health risks associated with DCPA use and application, even when personal protective equipment and engineering controls are used. The most serious risks are to the unborn babies of pregnant individuals. EPA estimates that some pregnant individuals handling DCPA products could be subjected to exposures four to 20 times greater than what EPA has estimated is safe for unborn babies.

Also of concern are risks to unborn babies of pregnant individuals entering or working in areas where DCPA has already been applied (especially post-application workers involved in tasks such as transplanting, weeding and harvesting). Current product labels specify that entry into treated fields must be restricted for 12 hours after application. However, the evidence indicates that for many crops and tasks, levels of DCPA in a treated field remain at unsafe levels for 25 days or more. Spray drift (the movement of pesticide through the air at the time of application or soon after, to any site other than the area intended) from pesticide application could also put at risk the unborn babies of pregnant individuals living near areas where DCPA is used.

Since the release of EPA’s 2023 assessment, AMVAC has proposed several changes to the DCPA registrations, including the cancellation of DCPA products registered for use on turf. Those cancellations practically eliminate exposures to DCPA from recreational activities on and around turf. But according to EPA’s analysis, AMVAC’s proposed changes to agricultural uses of DCPA do not adequately address the serious health risks for people who work with and around DCPA. 

In April 2024, EPA issued a public warning regarding the significant health risks to unborn babies of pregnant individuals exposed to DCPA and its intent to pursue action to address the serious, and in some instances, permanent, and irreversible health risks associated with the pesticide as quickly as possible. In a letter to AMVAC dated March 27, 2024, EPA restated the risks the agency found and noted that the agency would be pursuing regulatory options as soon as possible which could include cancelling the pesticide or seeking an emergency suspension.

When serious risks are identified, EPA can take action under FIFRA to suspend or cancel a pesticide. Taking such action is resource and time intensive, partly due to the procedural requirements of FIFRA. A cancellation proceeding may take at least several months (if uncontested by the registrant) or potentially several years (if contested by the registrant, thus triggering an administrative hearing and any subsequent appeal of a cancellation order). FIFRA also allows EPA to seek a suspension of a pesticide product while cancellation proceedings are ongoing if the Administrator determines it is necessary to prevent an imminent hazard.  EPA Administrator Regan has determined that, due to the serious and imminent harm posed by DCPA, an emergency exists such that this order of suspension effective immediately is necessary. EPA intends to issue a notice of intent to cancel the DCPA products within the next 90 days.

The Emergency Order is effective immediately. EPA determined that the continued sale and use of DCPA products during the time it would take to follow the normal cancellation process poses an imminent hazard to unborn babies. While AMVAC has attempted to address these concerns, EPA has determined there are no practical mitigation measures that can be put in place to allow DCPA’s continued use.

Additional information is available in the DCPA registration review docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0374.  

Read the DCPA Emergency Order.

For further information: EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Updates the Indoor AirPlus Home Labeling Program for Healthier Indoor Air Quality

WASHINGTON — Today, Aug. 5, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing enhancements to its Indoor AirPlus home labeling program. These improvements are designed to advance indoor air quality protection and expand market accessibility.

Indoor AirPlus is a voluntary partnership and labeling program designed to improve indoor air quality in homes. Builders that participate in the program use construction practices designed to minimize exposure to airborne pollutants and contaminants in the home. Indoor AirPlus homes are healthier by design. Strategies include mold and moisture control; radon resistance; pest management; improved heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems; combustion venting; healthier building materials; and homeowner education. Labeled homes can help reduce the likelihood of common and serious health problems like infectious disease, heart disease, cancer, asthma, allergies, respiratory issues, headaches and more.

“Indoor AirPlus is the premier high-performance home certification program focusing on indoor air quality,” said Dave Rowson, Director of the Indoor Environments Division. “The program updates in Indoor AirPlus Version 2, including new recognition opportunities with a tiered certification structure, will help even more Americans protect their families with improved indoor air quality.”

EPA considered a wide range of stakeholder feedback when developing the updates. This new version encourages broad industry participation, substantially advances indoor air quality protections, and strengthens third party verification and quality assurance.

Under this program update, builders may choose to build Indoor AirPlus Certified homes, or Indoor AirPlus Gold Certified homes. With no other certification pre-requisites, the Indoor AirPlus Certified home is built with key strategies targeting improved indoor air quality. The Indoor AirPlus Gold Certified home is designed to include more advanced protections for improved indoor air quality in conjunction with the energy efficiency benefits of ENERGY STAR certification.

During the implementation phase beginning today, partners may continue to use Indoor airPLUS Construction Specifications Version 1, Rev.4 or begin to use one of the new two-tier specifications. The Indoor airPLUS Construction Specifications Version 1, Rev. 4 are planned to be sunset by January 2026.

More information:

• Indoor AirPlus
• Indoor AirPlus Version 2
• Find an Indoor AirPlus builder or rater in your area
• Join the Indoor AirPlus program

For further information: EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Celebrates the 2024 Winners of the President’s Environmental Youth Award and the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators

WASHINGTON – Today, August 1, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with the White House Council on Environmental Quality, celebrated the 2024 President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) and the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE) Awards Ceremony. This ceremony marks an annual recognition of outstanding youth who are dedicated to environmental stewardship and impressive teachers who have contributed significantly to environmental education.

“Educators and students across our country make remarkable contributions every day to protect the environment, and it’s an honor to celebrate them today,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “These awardees set the gold standard for environmental education as they implement innovative approaches to protect human health and tackle climate change.”

“Environmental stewardship often begins in the classroom with young people and educators who are taking our planet’s most pressing climate change and environmental justice challenges head on,” said White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory. “This year’s awardees represent passionate and dedicated leaders who are tackling the climate crisis, improving public health, and delivering a more equitable future for all.”

Since 1971, the President of the United States has joined with EPA to recognize young people for protecting our nation's air, water, land, and ecology. The PEYA program recognizes outstanding environmental stewardship projects developed by K-12 youth. This program honors and brings to light a wide variety of projects developed by these young students, school classes and clubs, youth camps, and youth organizations to promote environmental awareness and action in their schools and communities. The PEYA program promotes awareness of our nation's natural resources and encourages positive community involvement.

Established by the 1990 National Environmental Education Act, the PIAEE program supports, encourages, and nationally honors outstanding educators who integrate environmental and place-based, experiential learning into school curricula and school facility management across the country. The PIAEE program supports the outstanding environmental projects performed by these innovative teachers who go beyond textbook instruction to incorporate methods and materials that utilize creative experiences and enrich student learning. The program recognizes elementary and secondary (K-12) education teachers, school administrators and their local education agencies, and provides funding to help support those educators in their environmental education work.

To read about the winning projects in detail, visit: President’s Environmental Youth Award winners and Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators winners.

For further information: EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)