EPA Press Office:

Colorado to receive $411,440 through EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant program

P2 funding will support state partnerships with businesses to reduce pollution and costs and focus on environmental justice concerns in communities

Media Contact:
Sara Loiacono, loiacono.sara@epa.gov, (303) 312-6626

DENVER (October 28, 2022) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) with $411,440 in Pollution Prevention (P2) grants to support state programs as they work with businesses to prevent or reduce pollution and reduce costs. CDPHE is one of thirty-two (32) recipients of $9 million in P2 grants announced by the EPA earlier this month.

“EPA’s support of Colorado’s exemplary Pollution Prevention partnerships continue to help businesses develop and implement strategies to reduce toxic pollution, waste production, water and energy use, and the use of raw materials, while also lowering business costs” said EPA Region 8’s Acting Director of Land Chemicals and Redevelopment Division, Nancy Morlock.  “This funding will also help the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment develop and share best practices through several different pathways focusing efforts on environmental justice concerns in underserved communities.” 

CDPHE’s P2 grant will be used to:

• Identify, develop, document, and share P2 best practices through the Colorado Green Business Network (CGBN) technical assistance and recognition program. Through this program, businesses throughout the state of Colorado can receive free on‐site and off‐site technical assistance in operational efficiency, as well as recognition to incentivize continual improvement in operational sustainability.
• Support community based P2 efforts amongst state and local technical assistance providers (TAPs), in addition to providing resources to enable the foundation of new TAPs across the state. The CGBN will focus efforts throughout its activities on environmental justice (EJ) concerns in underserved communities and on climate change impacts and GHG emissions reductions. Click here to learn more about CGBN.
• Support five P2 internship projects for Colorado State University graduate fellows, focusing on the Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Processing sector.

The grants announced this month are in addition to $12 million in P2 grants that were announced in September and made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s historic $100 million program investment in EPA’s P2 program.

The P2 grants also deliver on the President’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, clean water, and other investments to disadvantaged communities. EPA anticipates the majority of grants will successfully direct at least 40% of their environmental and human health benefits onto disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.

The United States produces billions of pounds of pollution each year and spends billions of dollars per year controlling this pollution. Preventing pollution at the source, also known as P2 or source reduction, rather than managing waste after it is produced is an important part of advancing a sustainable economic and environmental infrastructure. P2 can lessen exposure to toxic chemicals, conserve natural resources, and reduce financial costs for businesses, particularly costs associated with waste management, disposal and cleanup. These practices are essential for protecting health, improving environmental conditions in and around disadvantaged communities, and preserving natural resources like wetlands, groundwater sources, and other critical ecosystems.

A full list of the entities selected to receive funding can be found here.

Read more about P2 and the P2 Grant Programs.

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Enforcement Actions Help Protect Health of Vulnerable Communities from Lead Paint Hazards

WASHINGTON (October 28, 2022) - As part of National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highlighted several federal enforcement actions completed from October 2021 through September 2022, as well as future planned investigations. These actions ensure that renovation contractors, landlords and realtors comply with rules that protect the public from exposure to lead from lead paint. By bringing companies into compliance with these rules, EPA protects future customers and their families.

Lead-contaminated dust from chipped or peeling lead-based paint in homes built prior to 1978 presents one of the most common causes of elevated blood lead levels in children. Infants and children are especially vulnerable to lead paint exposure because their growing bodies absorb more lead than adults do, and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead.

“Because lead-based paint is the most common source of elevated blood lead levels in U.S. children, EPA is taking action against those who violate federal lead-based paint regulations and ensuring the public understands the danger of this hazard,” said Larry Starfield, EPA’s Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “The enforcement actions EPA took this past year send a clear message that EPA is committed to enforcing regulations designed to protect the public from lead-based paint exposure.”

Reduction of childhood lead exposures is a high priority for EPA. These enforcement actions reflect the agency’s continuing commitment to implementing the Federal Lead Strategy and EPA’s Lead Strategy and result in reducing or eliminating lead exposures, particularly to children. 

Regulations under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act (LHRA) apply to most pre-1978 dwellings and child-occupied facilities such as pre-schools and child-care centers. TSCA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP) and Lead-based Paint Activities Rule require contractor certification and lead-safe work practices. LHRA’s Section 1018 Lead Disclosure Rule requires disclosure of information about lead-based paint before the sale or lease of most housing built before 1978. By ensuring compliance with federal lead-based paint requirements, EPA addresses a major source of lead exposure that occurs in communities across the nation.

The cases below involve alleged noncompliance with at least one of these lead paint requirements. These cases highlight the range of the Agency’s work, including:

• criminal prosecution in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ),
• a focus on geographic areas that suffer from disproportionate levels of lead exposure, and
• bringing civil administrative actions against renovators with a far-reaching influence on the compliance landscape locally, regionally or nationwide.

By ensuring compliance with federal lead paint requirements, EPA strives to address major sources of lead exposure that occur throughout the nation and particularly in areas of environmental justice concern. In addition to EPA’s actions, the Agency supports states, tribes, and territories on the implementation and enforcement of the EPA-authorized lead-based paint programs.

Although the federal government banned residential use of lead-based paint in 1978, it persists in millions of older homes, sometimes under layers of new paint. Lead exposure, particularly at higher doses, continues to pose a significant health and safety threat to children, preventing them from reaching their fullest potential for their health, intellect, and future development. Even small amounts of lead dust can cause harm to children living in the home.

Case Highlights:

Two Chicks and a Hammer, Inc. of HGTV’s “Good Bones” Settle to Resolve Alleged Renovation, Violations

Warner Bros. Discovery Network’s “Maine Cabin Masters” Renovator Agrees to Include Lead Paint Compliance Information in Upcoming Episodes as Part of Settlement

GB Group, Inc. Settles to Resolve Alleged Renovation Violations

Property Management Firm Settles Alleged Lead Renovation and Asbestos Violations

Property Manager Sentenced for Failure to Properly Notify Tenants about Lead Hazards

Owner of Maryland Lead Inspection Company Sentenced

To see additional highlights of FY2022 enforcement actions involving lead, see EPA’s 2022 Lead Enforcement Bulletin.

Members of the public can help protect our environment by identifying and reporting environmental violations. Learn more about reporting environmental violations. 

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Awards Nearly $750,000 in Funding to Research PFAS Exposure Pathways

WASHINGTON (October 28, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $748,180 in research grant funding to three institutions for research to improve our understanding of how people are exposed to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in several communities throughout the country.

“Recognizing that exposure to PFAS is a public health and environmental issue facing communities across the United States, and consistent with EPA’s Strategic Roadmap for PFAS, the EPA is investing in scientific research to increase understanding of PFAS exposures,” said Chris Frey, Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “The research announced today will answer critical questions regarding the contribution of PFAS exposures at home to PFAS found in the body and will produce science that can help inform and focus decisions to protect human health.”

PFAS are a large group of chemicals that are used in many consumer products and industrial and manufacturing applications and are commonly known as ‘forever chemicals’ since they take so long to break down. Due to their widespread use and environmental persistence, most people in the United States have been exposed to PFAS. There is evidence that continued exposure above specific levels to certain PFAS may lead to adverse health effects. More data is needed to measure the nature and levels of PFAS in homes and food to understand pathways for human exposure and risk mitigation.

The research grants announced today will help us better understand the sources and pathways related to people’s exposures to PFAS chemicals.

The following institutions are receiving awards:

• Silent Spring Institute, Newton, Mass., to measure PFAS in air and dust in homes, and evaluate associations between potential residential sources and PFAS occurrence at home. This research will enhance understanding of the contribution of residential pathways to PFAS exposures and improve the interpretation of PFAS biomonitoring data.
• Duke University, Durham, N.C., to determine how different sources of PFAS exposure, including PFAS in drinking water and in homes, contribute to levels measured in blood. This study will address key questions on the most relevant PFAS exposure pathways for the general U.S. population.
• Emory University, Atlanta, Ga., to develop a standardized, validated, scientific protocol to measure levels of a targeted set of PFAS in the home. Data collected from home samples will be compared to data collected from PFAS in blood to help identify residential sources of PFAS measured in people’s blood. 

Learn more about the research grant recipients.

Learn more about EPA research grants.

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Releases First-ever Agency-Wide Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities in U.S. Communities

Strategy to reduce impacts of lead-exposure on high-risk communities, builds on historic investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

WASHINGTON (October 27,2022) -- Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities in U.S. Communities (Lead Strategy), in conjunction with National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. This first-ever, agency-wide Lead Strategy outlines how EPA will utilize its full suite of authorities, expertise, and resources to reduce lead exposure in communities overburdened by pollution and advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to environmental justice and equity. The efforts outlined in the strategy to protect the public from lead pollution are supported by the historic investments under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“The evidence is clear. Children exposed to lead are more likely to face adverse health impacts and other serious challenges throughout life —from slowed growth and development to learning and behavioral disabilities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Combined with the historic investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this strategy will accelerate our efforts to identify lead exposures early on and eliminate racial and socioeconomic disparities in blood-lead levels by connecting communities with resources that can reduce lead exposure.”

EPA’s multifaceted Lead Strategy aims to reduce community exposures to lead sources; identify communities with high lead exposures and improve their health outcomes; improve engagement with communities and stakeholders; and support critical research to inform efforts to reduce lead exposures and related health risks.

This work is supported by the unprecedented level of resources flowing to EPA through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which includes $15 billion in dedicated funding to replace lead pipes and service lines and remove lead from soil and contaminated sites. These historic investments include:

• $1.16 billion to support lead service line projects in 21 states, District of Columbia, and three territories.
• $600 million to cleanup construction projects at more than 50 Superfund sites where lead is a contaminant of concern.
• $25 million over the next 5 years to support small and disadvantaged communities  in the development of lead service line identification technologies, ensuring efficient, equitable distribution of resources through EPA State Revolving Funds.

 

In addition, this new strategy advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to replace lead pipes and support lead paint removal under the Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan.

Lead exposure can cause adverse health effects in almost every organ and system in the human body. The nervous system is the main target for lead in children and adults and exposure can result in irreversible and lifelong decreases in learning, memory, and attention. Ongoing exposures to lead in the environment present a health risk to many people nationwide. This is especially true in communities overburdened by pollution, which are disproportionately communities of color and low-income communities. Communities of color can also face greater risk due to past discriminatory lending practices, historic racial segregation in housing, and reduced access to environmentally safe and affordable housing.

Through this strategy, EPA is initiating several new actions and ensuring established programs across the agency are leveraged together to ensure the strongest protections from lead exposure. New actions in the strategy include:

• Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerators, which will provide targeted technical assistance and develop best practices to help address the barriers disadvantaged communities face in replacing lead service lines.
• New federal agency collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission to address lead in food, cosmetics, and other consumer goods.
• The development of new educational and engagement materials on children's health and maternal health regarding lead and heavy metals in cultural products and cookware.

 

In addition to these new actions, the strategy outlines, for the first time, a whole-of-agency approach for existing programs, regulations, and policies, ensuring coordination to protect the public from lead exposure. These existing programs include training courses for certified Renovation, Repair, and Painting contractors, community outreach and education programs on risks associated with lead-based paint, and resources for lead testing in schools and child care programs.

EPA will monitor implementation progress through a number of measures outlined in the strategy, including milestones for reevaluating regulations and program metrics such as completing 225 Superfund cleanups of lead contamination by fall of 2026. As implementation progresses, EPA will continue to strengthen these efforts and take actions to reach the goals outlined in this strategy.

Engaging with communities across the country, as well as with federal, Tribal, state, and local government partners, was integral to the development of the Lead Strategy, and the final strategy reflects the feedback of a wide array of stakeholders from across the country. Following the releases of the draft Lead Strategy last year, EPA solicited feedback from the public, hosting 11 public listening sessions, one in each of EPA’s 10 regions and an engagement session for Tribes. The agency also received thousands of public comments which informed and improved the final strategy.

Read the Lead Strategy.

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Releases First-ever Agency-Wide Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities in U.S. Communities

Strategy to reduce impacts of lead-exposure on high-risk communities, builds on historic investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities in U.S. Communities (Lead Strategy), in conjunction with National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. This first-ever, agency-wide Lead Strategy outlines how EPA will utilize its full suite of authorities, expertise, and resources to reduce lead exposure in communities overburdened by pollution and advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to environmental justice and equity. The efforts outlined in the strategy to protect the public from lead pollution are supported by the historic investments under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“The evidence is clear. Children exposed to lead are more likely to face adverse health impacts and other serious challenges throughout life —from slowed growth and development to learning and behavioral disabilities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Combined with the historic investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this strategy will accelerate our efforts to identify lead exposures early on and eliminate racial and socioeconomic disparities in blood-lead levels by connecting communities with resources that can reduce lead exposure.”

EPA’s multifaceted Lead Strategy aims to reduce community exposures to lead sources; identify communities with high lead exposures and improve their health outcomes; improve engagement with communities and stakeholders; and support critical research to inform efforts to reduce lead exposures and related health risks.

This work is supported by the unprecedented level of resources flowing to EPA through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which includes $15 billion in dedicated funding to replace lead pipes and service lines and remove lead from soil and contaminated sites. These historic investments include:

• $1.16 billion to support lead service line projects in 21 states, District of Columbia, and three territories.
• $600 million to cleanup construction projects at more than 50 Superfund sites where lead is a contaminant of concern.
• $25 million over the next 5 years to support small and disadvantaged communities  in the development of lead service line identification technologies, ensuring efficient, equitable distribution of resources through EPA State Revolving Funds.

In addition, this new strategy advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to replace lead pipes and support lead paint removal under the Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan.

Lead exposure can cause adverse health effects in almost every organ and system in the human body. The nervous system is the main target for lead in children and adults and exposure can result in irreversible and lifelong decreases in learning, memory, and attention. Ongoing exposures to lead in the environment present a health risk to many people nationwide. This is especially true in communities overburdened by pollution, which are disproportionately communities of color and low-income communities. Communities of color can also face greater risk due to past discriminatory lending practices, historic racial segregation in housing, and reduced access to environmentally safe and affordable housing.

Through this strategy, EPA is initiating several new actions and ensuring established programs across the agency are leveraged together to ensure the strongest protections from lead exposure. New actions in the strategy include:

• Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerators, which will provide targeted technical assistance and develop best practices to help address the barriers disadvantaged communities face in replacing lead service lines.
• New federal agency collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission to address lead in food, cosmetics, and other consumer goods.
• The development of new educational and engagement materials on children's health and maternal health regarding lead and heavy metals in cultural products and cookware.

In addition to these new actions, the strategy outlines, for the first time, a whole-of-agency approach for existing programs, regulations, and policies, ensuring coordination to protect the public from lead exposure. These existing programs include training courses for certified Renovation, Repair, and Painting contractors, community outreach and education programs on risks associated with lead-based paint, and resources for lead testing in schools and child care programs.

EPA will monitor implementation progress through a number of measures outlined in the strategy, including milestones for reevaluating regulations and program metrics such as completing 225 Superfund cleanups of lead contamination by fall of 2026. As implementation progresses, EPA will continue to strengthen these efforts and take actions to reach the goals outlined in this strategy.

Engaging with communities across the country, as well as with federal, Tribal, state, and local government partners, was integral to the development of the Lead Strategy, and the final strategy reflects the feedback of a wide array of stakeholders from across the country. Following the releases of the draft Lead Strategy last year, EPA solicited feedback from the public, hosting 11 public listening sessions, one in each of EPA’s 10 regions and an engagement session for Tribes. The agency also received thousands of public comments which informed and improved the final strategy.

Read the Lead Strategy.

EPA to Hold Open House Meeting in Santa Teresa, New Mexico on Health Risks from Ethylene Oxide Emissions

 EPA News Release:

DALLAS, TEXAS (October 27th, 2022) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is committed to reducing health risks associated with toxic air pollution and is working to update and strengthen Clean Air Act standards for commercial sterilizers to achieve that goal. As part of that process, EPA is conducting an open house meeting with the community of Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

EPA is conducting an open house meeting with the community of Santa Teresa, NM to share information about EtO emissions from the Sterigenics Santa Teresa facility. During the session, representatives will be available to discuss health risks associated with EtO, and EPA actions to address these risks. EPA staff and other experts will be placed at tables throughout the room, organized by topic.

EPA aims to improve public understanding of the risk; help the community and the industry reduce risk from EtO in the near-term; and hear input as EPA continues to develop regulations to reduce air pollution from commercial sterilizers.   

The upcoming meeting for Santa Teresa will be held on: 

• November 1, 2022
• War Eagles Air Museum - 8012 Airport Rd Santa Teresa, NM 88008
• From 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm

For registration and more detailed information please visit our webpage or contact us at eto@epa.gov. 

Connect with the Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 on Facebook, Twitter, or visit our homepage.

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Enforcement Actions in 2022 Help Protect Public Health and the Environment from Dangers of Lead Exposure

WASHINGTON (October 27, 2022) — Today, as part of National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, EPA released its 2022 Lead Enforcement Bulletin, which highlights the most notable lead enforcement cases during the past fiscal year. EPA pursued both civil and criminal cases for violations of federal laws to prevent and reduce exposure to lead in paint, drinking water, soils, hazardous waste and other environmental sources. Many of the enforcement actions and activities highlighted in the Lead Enforcement Bulletin address lead exposures in communities disproportionately impacted by lead and areas with environmental justice concerns.

"Despite our understanding of the negative health impacts that can result from lead exposure, many Americans are still exposed, and this is particularly true for underserved and overburdened communities,” said Larry Starfield, EPA’s Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Over the last year, EPA took numerous enforcement actions to protect the public from lead exposure.”

Lead-based Paint

The Bulletin highlights both civil settlements and criminal sanctions for violations involving lead in paint:

• The latest cases against companies whose alleged renovation violations were broadcast on national television involved renovators on the shows “Maine Cabin Masters” and “Good Bones.”   In both cases, the companies agreed to pay civil penalties and educate the public about lead-safe work practices, among other things.  Other recent enforcement actions also addressed alleged renovation violations aired on the television shows “Magnolia Homes,” “Texas Flip N Move,” and “Rehab Addict and Bargain Mansions.” 
• A renovation company agreed to pay a $137,804 civil penalty to settle alleged renovation violations. 
• A property management/development firm agreed to pay a civil penalty to resolve alleged renovation and asbestos violations in an area with environmental justice concerns.
• Two criminal cases resulted in sentences and fines. One was for a property manager that failed to disclose known lead paint hazards to prospective tenants and the second was for the owner/operator of a lead inspection firm for falsifying lead paint inspection reports.

Lead in Drinking Water

The Bulletin highlights EPA’s issuance of an order to Benton Harbor, Michigan’s Public Water System to address elevated lead levels in drinking water and other violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. This unilateral administrative order requires the City of Benton Harbor’s Public Water System to inform consumers when lead action level exceedances are detected and improve applications of orthophosphate for corrosion control, in addition to repairs at the water treatment plant and improvements to disinfection. The order also requires an independent third-party analysis of alternatives for long-term operation and maintenance of the system.

Lead in Soil / Superfund / Hazardous Waste

The Bulletin highlights:

• A settlement to recover approximately $1,950,000 in costs for the cleanup of lead-contaminated soil in the Chicago area. 
• EPA’s order requiring the removal of lead-contaminated soil from 58 residential properties in Viburnum, Missouri.
• EPA’s selection of a remedy to address lead and other contamination at a Lead Superfund site in Indiana.
• Criminal sanctions for a former landfill director for illegally storing and disposing of hazardous waste containing lead in North Carolina.
• EPA’s order to prevent the release of lead to the environment from a waste processing facility in Georgia.

In addition, the Bulletin highlights EPA enforcement and compliance assurance activities that address lead exposures from air emissions at federal facilities and on tribal lands. 

 

More information about lead.

Help protect our environment by identifying and reporting environmental violations. 

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Awards Nearly $2M in Research and Issues Action Plan to Help Small Communities Protect Public Health and Increase Access to Clean Water

WASHINGTON (October 27, 2022) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Lagoon Wastewater Treatment Action Plan and announced nearly $2 million in research grant funding to accelerate innovative and alternative wastewater treatment technologies in lagoon and pond systems serving small communities. Through research grants and the first ever Action Plan, EPA is providing equitable, accessible, and coordinated technical and financial programs, resources, and assistance that will help improve public health and clean waterway protections for rural, small, and Tribal communities that rely on lagoon wastewater treatment systems.

“Many small and rural communities in the United States rely on a wastewater treatment process that falls short of environmental and public health protection,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “The Lagoon Action Plan will help communities with lagoon systems ensure their local water quality isn’t impacted by improper wastewater management.”

“Lagoon wastewater systems are essential to many small, rural, and Tribal communities,” said Chris Frey, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “EPA is funding this research to help improve water quality and better serve these communities.”

Lagoon wastewater treatment systems are a common form of decentralized wastewater treatment that uses earthen ponds to break down wastewater using natural biological processes. These systems are particularly attractive to small or rural communities because of their low operating cost, built-in solids storage, and low minimal operating requirements.

The Lagoon Action Plan outlines critical actions that EPA will implement through 2026 to assist rural, small, and Tribal communities with lagoon wastewater treatment systems. The plan will identify how many lagoon wastewater treatment systems are in the United States; provide financial and technical assistance tools – including tools to help underserved communities access Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding; develop cost and performance data for technologies, regulatory support tools, and plans for community engagement, communication, and partnerships.

EPA is awarding $2 million to research and provide information that can help small communities deploy demonstrated innovative water technologies for lagoon systems, which will help achieve better nutrient management in a cost-effective manner. The following universities will be receiving an award:

 

• Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Mich., to deploy and test a floating treatment wetland system in a lagoon in a small community in northern Michigan.
• West Virginia University, Morgantown W.Va., to evaluate current and potential technology options to remove nutrients from lagoons systems and use this information to develop a decision-support tool that can be used to determine cost-effective technologies that can improve nutrient removal in lagoon systems in small communities.

 

Learn more about the funded recipients.  

Learn more about EPA research grants.

 

Background

Small lagoon communities typically serve fewer than 3,000 people and frequently lack the necessary financial and technical resources to comply with the Clean Water Act (CWA). Many of these communities utilized lagoon wastewater systems as the only way to treat their community wastewater. Over 4,500 of these facilities are discharging lagoon wastewater systems that do not rely on more advanced supplemental technology; this is about one-quarter of the nation’s Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) regulated by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) program.

EPA has a 30+ year history of helping communities invest in water infrastructure projects, like lagoon systems. Since 1988, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) has provided over $153 billion in low-cost assistance to borrowers across the country – with small communities receiving almost $35 billion. And thanks to additional funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), over $3 billion is available through the CWSRF in FY 2022, of which a significant portion will be made available as grants or forgivable loans and below market rate loans, down to 0% interest. Through the Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Community Initiative, EPA and USDA-RD are leveraging technical assistance to help historically underserved communities access these funding sources to address their wastewater needs.

EPA, City of Dallas Recognize Lead Poisoning Prevention Week at West Dallas Community Center

 EPA News Release:

EPA, City of Dallas Recognize Lead Poisoning Prevention Week at West Dallas Community Center

DALLAS, TEXAS (Oct. 27, 2022) – This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of Children’s Environmental Health Month, recognizes Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. To increase awareness of childhood lead poisoning, Regional Administrator Earthea Nance and staff from EPA Region 6 spoke with children and families at the Wesley Rankin Community Center in Dallas, Texas. The event was held in partnership with the city of Dallas Environmental Commission.

“Lead exposure and poisoning remain threats for children, especially those who live or go to school in older buildings, and can lead to lifelong health issues,” said Regional Administrator Earthea Nance. “But the good news is these threats are largely preventable by avoiding exposure. During Lead Poisoning Prevention Week—and throughout the year—EPA and the Biden-Harris Administration will keep working to raise awareness and provide investments to keep children all across the nation safe in their homes and schools.”

“As someone who grew up in the shadow of a lead smelter plant in West Dallas, I firmly believe in the importance of understanding the risks of lead poisoning and exposure,” said Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson. “All of our children deserve to grow up in safe and healthy communities, and I am grateful to the EPA for its work to raise awareness of this issue in Dallas.”

RA Nance read a book and led an activity on the dangers of lead with a group of young children at the Wesley Rankin Community Center. She and Region 6 staff also spoke with parents and distributed educational materials on common lead exposures and how to avoid them. The center serves families in West Dallas, an area with many homes built before 1978, when lead was banned in paint in the United States. 

EPA and the city of Dallas also joined for another event at the Margaret Cone Head Start facility in Southeast Dallas, where staff read with children and distributed educational materials for parents.

Although the federal government banned residential use of lead-based paint in 1978, it is still present in millions of older homes. Infants, children, and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to lead exposure, which can, even at low levels, cause lifelong impacts including developmental impairment, learning disabilities, impaired hearing, reduced attention span, hyperactivity and behavioral problems. A blood-lead test is the only way to determine if a child has an elevated blood-lead level. Parents who think their child has been in contact with lead should contact their health care provider. 

EPA includes Lead Poisoning Prevention Week as part of Children’s Health Month, celebrated each October. EPA’s Office of Children’s Environmental Health was established to ensure EPA’s work consistently accounts for the way environmental hazards affect infants and children. Children are often more vulnerable to pollutants than adults due to differences in behavior and biology, that can lead to greater exposure and/or unique windows of susceptibility during development.

Visit EPA’s Children’s Health webpage to learn more about the Agency’s work to protect children’s environmental health.

Connect with the Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 on Facebook, Twitter, or visit our homepage.

Croc Coast (Full Episode) | Florida Untamed

#FullEpisode #FloridaUntamed #NatGeoWILD

EPA Awards Nevada nearly $9 Million in Historic Federal Funding to Improve Water Quality

 EPA News Release:

EPA Awards Nevada nearly $9 Million in Historic Federal Funding to Improve Water Quality

CARSON CITY — Today, The U.S. EPA announced funding to the State of Nevada for water infrastructure improvements as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  Nevada has been awarded an $8.7 million capitalization grant through the State Revolving Funds (SRFs) along with Nevada’s annual base SRF funding of $13.8 million.

The grant marks the first significant distribution of water infrastructure funds following the passage of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The BIL allocates more than $50 billion toward repairing the nation’s essential water infrastructure, in turn helping communities access clean, safe and reliable drinking water, prevent flooding, collect and treat wastewater to protect public health, and safeguard vital waterways.

“All communities need access to clean, reliable, safe water,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Thanks to President Biden’s leadership and the resources from the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are repairing aging water infrastructure, replacing lead service lines, cleaning up contaminants, and making our communities more resilient in the face of floods and climate impacts.”

“Nevada remains firmly committed to improving clean water infrastructure across the state and protecting water quality for all Nevadans, including our historically underserved communities," said Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak. "Nevada’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund, administered by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, has a strong record of partnering with communities to provide affordable financing for water infrastructure projects. I thank the Biden-Harris Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for these historic investments that will further Nevada's efforts to improve water quality while increasing the state's resilience to drought and climate change for generations to come."

“I’m proud to have helped secure funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to ensure Nevada communities have access to clean water,” said Senator Jacky Rosen. “This historic funding will help to repair our water infrastructure and better manage wastewater and will take important steps toward keeping Nevadans safe and healthy.”

The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) is the administrator of Nevada's Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs, providing communities a permanent, independent source of low-cost financing for a wide range of water quality infrastructure projects. 

NDEP provides various types of assistance, including loans, refinancing, purchasing, or guaranteeing local debt and purchasing bond insurance. Loan terms vary and may include an interest rate discount and repayment periods between 20 and 30 years. NDEP tailors all loan terms to the borrower's situation and needs.  

Capitalization grants will continue to be awarded, on a state-by-state basis, over the course of the next four years. As grants are awarded, the state SRF programs can begin to distribute the funds as grants and loans to communities across their state.

While the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law presents the largest low-cost and no-cost funding opportunity for investing in water infrastructure, other programs do exist to help communities manage their water resources.

More information about funding is available on EPA’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law webpage.

For more information on Nevada’s water quality priorities for this funding, please visit: https://ndep.nv.gov/water/financing-infrastructure/state-revolving-fund-loans#

Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on Twitter.

 EPA Press Office:

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $1 Billion from EPA’s Clean School Bus Program for 389 School Districts

Historic investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law headed to all 50 states in effort to transform America’s school bus fleet

WASHINGTON (October 26, 2022) — Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the Fiscal Year 2022 recipients of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, awarding nearly $1 billion from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to 389 school districts spanning 50 states, Washington, DC, and several Tribes and U.S. territories. The grants will help school districts purchase over 2,400 clean school buses that will accelerate the transition to zero emission vehicles and produce cleaner air in and around schools and communities.

 

Vice President Kamala Harris and EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan will join schoolchildren, district leaders and community members in Seattle, Washington, later today to make the announcement and highlight how it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save schools money, and better protect children’s health. The investment will also drive demand for American-made batteries and vehicles, boost domestic manufacturing, and create good-paying jobs.

 

“President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is accelerating our nation’s transition to electric and low-emission school buses while ensuring a brighter, healthier future for our children,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “As many as 25 million children rely on the bus to get to school each day. Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration, we are making an unprecedented investment in our children’s health, especially those in communities overburdened by air pollution. This is just the beginning of our work to build a healthier future, reduce climate pollution, and ensure the clean, breathable air that all our children deserve.”

 

In May, EPA announced the availability of $500 million for its Clean School Bus Program. Given overwhelming demand from school districts across the country, including in low-income communities, Tribal nations, and territories, EPA nearly doubled the amount of funding that will be awarded to $965 million. The rebate application period closed in August with an outstanding response from school districts seeking to purchase electric and low-emission school buses across the country.

At this time, through a lottery system, the agency has selected 389 applications totaling $913 million to support the purchase of 2,463 buses, 95% of which will be electric. EPA will distribute awards to school districts in all 50 states and Washington D.C., along with several federally recognized Tribes and U.S. territories. School districts identified as priority areas serving low-income, rural, and, or Tribal students make up 99% of the projects that were selected. More applications are under review, and the agency plans to select more to reach the full $965 million in the coming weeks.

 

Those school districts who received an award can now proceed with purchasing new buses and eligible infrastructure. Selectees will need to submit Payment Request Forms with purchase orders demonstrating they have ordered new buses and eligible infrastructure. EPA is also partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Transportation to provide school districts with robust technical assistance to ensure effective implementation.

 

These awards are the first $1 billion of a five-year, $5 billion program created by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. EPA is also designing the next rounds of program funding to launch in the coming months, which will include an ambitious grant competition. Through future rounds of funding, EPA will make available another $1 billion for clean school buses in Fiscal Year 2023. EPA encourages school districts not selected in the first round of rebates – and those that did not apply this funding cycle – to participate in future rounds.

 

About the Clean School Bus Rebate Program

 

The Clean School Bus Program will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save money for school districts and produce cleaner air. Diesel air pollution is linked to asthma and other conditions that harm students’ health and cause them to miss school, particularly in communities of color and Tribal communities. Phasing out these diesel engines will ensure cleaner air for students, bus drivers, and school staff working near the bus loading areas, and the communities through which the buses drive each day. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from these bus replacements will also help to address the outsized role of the transportation sector in fueling the climate crisis. The program will also save school districts money as they upgrade school bus fleets, replacing older, heavily polluting buses with brand new clean school buses, while freeing up needed resources for schools.

 

The 2022 Clean School Bus Rebates prioritize low-income, rural, and Tribal communities. The vast majority of applicants met the priority definition under the 2022 Clean School Bus Rebates criteria, resulting in access to more funds for buses and electric vehicle infrastructure for schools in areas that need them the most. The program also delivers on President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved and  overburdened by pollution.

 

View the full list of Clean School Bus award recipients here.