Trash Collecting Machines are Cleaning Lakes and Beaches

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EPA Issues Consent Order to MAX Environmental Technologies to Ensure Compliance with Hazardous Waste Rules at Yukon, PA, Facility

PHILADELPHIA (April 29, 2024) - Max Environmental Technologies, Inc. (MAX) has agreed to several actions to ensure compliance with federal and state hazardous waste safeguards at the company’s waste facility in Yukon, PA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. 

MAX owns and operates a 160-acre facility, surrounded by agricultural and residential properties, about 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, PA in Westmoreland County. According to EPA, this site is an area with potential environmental justice concerns. MAX conducts waste operations under permits issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA). RCRA is the principal federal hazardous waste storage and disposal statute.

Among the hazardous wastes at the MAX facility are wastewater treatment sludge, corrosives, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, selenium, silver, electric arc furnace dust, and waste acid/pickle liquor.  Waste management units include five closed impoundments, an active solid waste landfill, waste storage tanks and containers, hazardous waste treatment units, and a leachate management system that generates sludge from wastewater treatment.

EPA officials inspected the facility in March 20-24, 2023, to determine MAX’s compliance with environmental regulations, including the terms of its PA DEP-issued CWA and RCRA permits. According to EPA, its inspectors documented several RCRA permit violations, including but not limited to: (1) unlawful disposal of hazardous waste in the solid waste landfill at the facility, (2) failure to maintain a containment building, and (3) failure to keep the hazardous waste containers closed to prevent hazardous waste release.

The Consent Order announced today addresses RCRA and state hazardous waste requirements.  MAX has agreed to immediate measures to eliminate the potential release of solid and hazardous waste into the environment and to ensure that future ongoing operations do not cause or contribute to releases at the facility.   The RCRA consent order requirements include, but are not limited to:   

• Prohibition of disposal of untreated and treated hazardous waste in the facility’s landfill unless it has been reviewed and analyzed by a third-party auditor and unaffiliated PA DEP-accredited laboratory.  
• Retention of an EPA approved third party Professional Engineer to perform a structural evaluation and recommendations to repair or modify the containment and processing building and containment pads.
• Monitoring and sampling of residential wells adjacent to the facility.
• Monthly progress reports and meetings with EPA project managers to evaluate the compliance actions stated in the Consent Order 

EPA worked closely with PA DEP in investigating conditions and negotiating this consent order that addresses compliance with RCRA and state hazardous waste compliance.  EPA and PA DEP are currently reviewing MAX’s compliance with its CWA permit.  

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 EPA Press Office:

EPA Celebrates Earth Week and Agency Efforts to Prevent Plastic Pollution

WASHINGTON – Today, April 26, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is wrapping up Earth Week by highlighting the work the agency is doing to prevent plastic pollution. 

“Plastic waste is growing and so is the impact it has on public health and the environment,” said Cliff Villa, EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Land and Emergency Management. “This Earth Week, I challenge everyone to do their part to reduce plastic waste to protect our health and ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy a safe and healthy planet.”

Together, everyone can prevent plastic waste from entering the environment by reducing the waste they generate, reusing or recycling plastic products, and picking up littered materials. EPA strongly supports an innovative, equitable and circular approach to preventing plastic pollution from harming human health and the environment, particularly in already overburdened communities.

The agency’s Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution, together with the National Recycling Strategy, identifies actions that governments, businesses, industry, and nonprofits in the U.S. can take to:

• Reduce pollution from plastic production.
• Decrease plastic waste generation by encouraging reuse.
• Capture and remove plastics and other materials from the environment, including waterways and oceans.
• Expand markets for recycled goods.
• Improve materials management infrastructure and increase collection.
• Reduce contamination in the recycled materials stream.

Recently, the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided the largest EPA investment in recycling in 30 years, supporting improvements to waste management systems and programs. Just this past year in September, EPA selected 25 communities to receive grants totaling more than $73 million under the newly created Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling funding opportunity. In addition, EPA made available about $32 million for states and territories to improve solid waste management planning, data collection and implementation of plans.

In November, the agency announced 59 selectees to receive over $60 million in SWIFR grants for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia and 25 selectees to receive over $33 million in Recycling Education and Outreach grants. These grants will expand recycling infrastructure and education for waste management systems across the country. EPA also created a Model Recycling Program Toolkit to help communities increase participation in recycling programs and reduce contamination in the recycling stream.

Everyday ways to combat plastic pollution

• Support policies and programs that aim to reduce plastic pollution.
• Purchase products that are designed to be easily reusable or recyclable.
• Participate in community recycling programs if they are available and learn which types of materials the local recycling program accepts.
• Pick up litter in the environment and make sure it can be collected for recycling or proper disposal.
• Reduce and reuse materials in everyday life. The most effective way to prevent plastic pollution is to not create plastic waste in the first place.

Additional Information on Plastic Waste

Plastic is one of the most prevalent materials in daily life—most people don’t go a single day without encountering plastic. And while it’s a valuable resource that can be put to so many uses (and reuses), it’s also a key contributor to pollution. EPA’s estimates show that plastic waste generation in the United States increased from 0.4% of total municipal solid waste generated in 1960 to 12.2% in 2018. Plastic waste that does not make it into the U.S. waste management system often ends up in the environment as plastic pollution.

Plastic pollution is particularly concerning because plastic materials do not fully biodegrade in the environment. Land-based sources account for up to 80% of plastic waste that pollutes waterways and oceans. Plastic pollution has been found in a wide range of organisms and habitats, including coral reefs, estuaries, beaches, and the deep sea. Since plastic material does not decompose, it accumulates in landfills and in the environment. Plastic products also contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions throughout their life cycles, with most of these emissions coming from the production and conversion of fossil fuels into new plastic products. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development estimates that in 2019, plastic products were responsible for 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions throughout their life cycles, with 90% of these emissions coming from the production and conversion of fossil fuels into new plastic products.

• Visit EPA’s webpage on plastics to learn more about plastic pollution and ways to combat it.
• Visit EPA’s webpage on materials and waste to learn more. 
• Visit EPA’s webpage on circular economy to learn more. 
• Visit EPA’s webpage on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law initiatives to learn more. 
• Visit EPA’s Trash Free Waters program webpage to learn more.

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

Great Garden Questions Answered - Vinegar Herbicide, Garden Art, Brick M...

 EPA Press Office:

Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Suite of Standards to Reduce Pollution from Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants

Four final rules deliver on the Biden-Harris Administration’s day-one commitment to lead on climate action and to protect all communities from pollution

WASHINGTON – Today, April 25, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a suite of final rules to reduce pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants in order to protect all communities from pollution and improve public health without disrupting the delivery of reliable electricity. These rules, finalized under separate authorities including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, will significantly reduce climate, air, water, and land pollution from the power sector, delivering on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to protect public health, advance environmental justice, and confront the climate crisis.

By announcing these final rules at the same time, EPA is following through on the commitment that Administrator Michael S. Regan made to industry stakeholders at CERAWeek 2022 to provide regulatory certainty as the power sector makes long-term investments in the transition to a clean energy economy. The standards are designed to work with the power sector’s planning processes, providing compliance timelines that enable power companies to plan in advance to meet electricity demand while reducing dangerous pollution.

“Today, EPA is proud to make good on the Biden-Harris Administration’s vision to tackle climate change and to protect all communities from pollution in our air, water, and in our neighborhoods,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “By developing these standards in a clear, transparent, inclusive manner, EPA is cutting pollution while ensuring that power companies can make smart investments and continue to deliver reliable electricity for all Americans.”

“This year, the United States is projected to build more new electric generation capacity than we have in two decades – and 96 percent of that will be clean,” said President Biden’s National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “President Biden’s leadership has not only sparked an unprecedented expansion in clean electricity generation, his leadership has also launched an American manufacturing renaissance. America is now a magnet for private investment, with hundreds of billions of dollars committed and 270,000 new clean energy jobs created. This is how we win the future, by harnessing new technologies to grow our economy, deliver environmental justice, and save the planet for future generations.”

The suite of final rules includes:

• A final rule for existing coal-fired and new natural gas-fired power plants that would ensure that all coal-fired plants that plan to run in the long-term and all new baseload gas-fired plants control 90 percent of their carbon pollution.  
• A final rule strengthening and updating the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for coal-fired power plants, tightening the emissions standard for toxic metals by 67 percent and finalizing a 70 percent reduction in the emissions standard for mercury from existing lignite-fired sources. 
• A final rule to reduce pollutants discharged through wastewater from coal-fired power plants by more than 660 million pounds per year, ensuring cleaner water for affected communities, including communities with environmental justice concerns that are disproportionately impacted.
• A final rule that will require the safe management of coal ash that is placed in areas that were unregulated at the federal level until now, including at previously used disposal areas that may leak and contaminate groundwater.

Delivering Public Health Protections for Communities, Providing Regulatory Certainty for the Industry, and Ensuring the Power Sector Can Provide Reliable Electricity for Consumers

Finalizing these four rules delivers on the Administration’s commitment to providing health protections for all communities, including communities with environmental justice concerns, many of which are located near power plants. At the same time, EPA is providing a predictable regulatory outlook for power companies, including opportunities to reduce compliance complexity, and clear signals to create market and price stability. Administrator Regan outlined this approach in 2022 when he committed to transparency and open dialogue so that state and federal energy regulators, power companies, and grid operators have clear information on which to base decisions.

EPA conducted regulatory impact analyses for each rule, showing that this suite of standards will deliver hundreds of billions of dollars in net benefits. EPA also performed a sensitivity analysis exploring the combined effect on the power sector of the carbon pollution, air toxics, and water rules, as well as EPA’s recent rules for the transportation sector. The projections regarding changes in electricity supply and demand align with recent reports from the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Renewable Energy Laboratory and peer-reviewed research in showing that the sector can meet growing demand for electricity and provide reliable, affordable electricity at the same time as it reduces pollution in accordance with these rules to protect health and the planet.

With the announcement today, the power sector can make planning decisions with a full array of information. In fact, the agency’s analysis indicates that issuing these rules at the same time is likely to create more efficiency for facilities that are now able to evaluate compliance steps together rather than only for each rule in isolation. Therefore, adding the cost of the rules modeled independently would likely reflect an overestimate of total costs.

“The new rules to clean up air pollution from power plants are good news for everyone, especially if there is a power plant near where you work, live or study. The American Lung Association applauds Administrator Regan and the entire team of professionals at the EPA for their resolute commitment to public health and environmental justice,” said Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of the American Lung Association. “Burning fossil fuels in power plants harms people’s lungs, makes kids sick and accelerates the climate crisis. The stronger clean air and climate protections will save lives.”

“These rules call on utilities and states to be full partners in making this transition fair for energy workers and communities,” said BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director Jason Walsh. “It also complements the historic federal investments made by the Biden-Harris administration and the previous Congress, which provide a toolbox of critical investments targeted to the workers and communities experiencing the economic impacts of energy transition.”

Stronger Carbon Pollution Standards for New Gas and Existing Coal Power Plants

EPA’s final Clean Air Act standards for existing coal-fired and new natural gas-fired power plants limit the amount of carbon pollution covered sources can emit, based on proven and cost-effective control technologies that can be applied directly to power plants. The regulatory impact analysis projects reductions of 1.38 billion metric tons of carbon pollution overall through 2047, which is equivalent to preventing the annual emissions of 328 million gasoline cars, or to nearly an entire year of emissions from the entire U.S. electric power sector. It also projects up to $370 billion in climate and public health net benefits over the next two decades.

The rule addresses existing coal-fired power plants, which continue to be the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector, and ensures that new natural gas combustion turbines, some of the largest new sources of greenhouse gases being built today, are designed using modern technologies to reduce climate pollution.

The climate and health benefits of this rule substantially outweigh the compliance costs. In 2035 alone, the regulatory impact analysis estimates substantial health co-benefits including:

• Up to 1,200 avoided premature deaths
• 870 avoided hospital and emergency room visits
• 1,900 avoided cases of asthma onset
• 360,000 avoided cases of asthma symptoms
• 48,000 avoided school absence days
• 57,000 lost workdays

The final emission standards and guidelines will achieve substantial reductions in carbon pollution at reasonable cost. The best system of emission reduction for the longest-running existing coal units and most heavily utilized new gas turbines is based on carbon capture and sequestration/storage (CCS) – an available and cost-reasonable emission control technology that can be applied directly to power plants and can reduce 90 percent of carbon dioxide emissions from the plants.

Lower costs and continued improvements in CCS technology, alongside tax incentives from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act that allow companies to largely offset the cost of CCS, represent recent developments in emissions controls that informed EPA’s determination of what is technically feasible and cost-reasonable. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also includes billions of dollars to advance and deploy CCS technology and infrastructure. EPA projects that the sector can comply with the standards with negligible impact on electricity prices, thanks to cost declines in CCS and other emissions-reducing technologies. EPA analysis also finds that power companies can comply with the standards while meeting grid reliability, even when considering increased load growth.

The final rule includes requirements to help ensure meaningful engagement with affected stakeholders, including communities with environmental justice concerns, overburdened by pollution and climate change impacts, as well as the energy communities and workers who have powered our nation for generations. The standard also requires states to provide transparent data on compliance pathways and timelines through the state planning process, ensuring that workers and communities have the best-available information to plan for changes in the sector. President Biden’s Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization has identified historic resources for energy communities to invest in infrastructure, deploy new technologies that can help clean up the electric power sector, support energy workers, and spur long-term economic revitalization. The final rule also follows guidance from the Council on Environmental Quality to ensure that deployment of CCS technologies is done in a responsible manner that incorporates the input of communities and reflects the best available science.

In addition to finalizing these rules, EPA has opened a non-regulatory docket and issued framing questions to gather input about a comprehensive approach to reduce GHG emissions from the entire fleet of existing gas combustion turbines in the power sector. EPA is committed to expeditiously proposing GHG emission guidelines for these units, as part of a comprehensive approach to the regulation of climate, toxic and air pollution from combustion turbines. 

To view the fact sheet for this rulemaking visit EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Standards and Guidelines for Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants webpage.

Strengthening Mercury and Air Toxics Standards

EPA is strengthening and updating the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for coal-fired power plants, achieving important hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions reductions and ensuring that the standards reflect the latest advancement in pollution control technologies. This final rule under the Clean Air Act is the most significant update since MATS was first issued in February 2012, building on highly successful and cost-effective protections.

EPA projects the final rule will reduce emissions of mercury and non-mercury metal HAPs, such as nickel, arsenic, and lead. Controlling these emissions from power plants improves public health for all Americans by reducing the risk of fatal heart attacks, cancer, developmental delays in children, and also reduces adverse environmental impacts. The final rule will also result in substantial co-benefits, including reductions in emissions of fine particulate matter (“soot”), sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide nationwide. These public health improvements are especially important for children and communities with environmental justice concerns and others who regularly consume fish that accumulate high levels of pollutants from power plants.  

The final rule reduces the mercury emissions limit by 70 percent for lignite-fired units and reduces the emissions limit that controls for toxic metals by 67 percent for all coal plants—while also requiring the use of continuous emission monitoring systems to provide real-time, accurate data to regulators, facility operators, and the public to ensure that plants are meeting these lower limits and that communities are protected year-round from pollution exposure.

EPA projects that the final MATS limits will result in the following emissions reductions in the year 2028: 

• 1,000 pounds of mercury
• At least 7 tons of non-mercury HAP metals
• 770 tons of fine particulate matter (PM2.5)
• 280 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx)
• 65,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2)

EPA’s final rule projects $300 million in health benefits and $130 million in climate benefits over the 10-year period from 2028-2037. Reductions in non-mercury HAP metal emissions are expected to reduce exposure to carcinogens such as nickel, arsenic, and hexavalent chromium, for residents living in the vicinity of these facilities.

To view the fact sheet for this rulemaking visit EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards webpage.

Stronger Limits on Water Pollution from Power Plants

EPA is strengthening wastewater discharge standards that apply to coal-fired power plants, finalizing a rule that follows the latest science and applies EPA’s longstanding authority under the Clean Water Act to reduce discharges of toxic metals and other pollutants from these power plants into lakes, streams, and other waterbodies. When implemented, this action will annually prevent more than 660 million pounds of pollution per year from being discharged to our nation’s waters—protecting freshwater resources that provide sources of drinking water for communities, support economic development, enhance outdoor recreation, and sustain vibrant ecosystems.

Power plants that burn coal to create electricity use large volumes of water. When this water is returned to lakes, streams, and other waterbodies it can carry pollutants, including mercury, arsenic, selenium, nickel, bromide, chloride, and iodide, and nutrient pollution. Exposure to these pollutants can harm people and ecosystems by contaminating drinking water sources, recreational waters, and aquatic life.

EPA’s final rule establishes technology-based discharge standards—known as Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELGs)—that will apply to four types of wastewater:

• Flue gas desulfurization wastewater
• Bottom ash transport water
• Combustion residual leachate
• “Legacy wastewater” that is stored in surface impoundments (for example, coal ash ponds)

The agency’s final rule includes implementation flexibilities for power plants. For example, the final rule creates a new compliance path for electricity generating units that permanently stop burning coal by 2034. These units will be able to continue meeting existing requirements instead of the requirements contained in this final regulation. In a separate action finalized last year, EPA updated but maintained an existing provision allowing units to comply with less stringent standards if they will permanently stop burning coal by 2028.

Following rigorous analysis, EPA has determined that this final rule will have minimal effects on electricity prices. EPA’s analysis shows that the final rule will provide billions of dollars in health and environmental benefits each year. These water quality, health, and environmental improvements will benefit environmental justice communities that are disproportionately affected by pollution from coal-fired power plants.

To view the fact sheet for this rulemaking visit EPA’s Steam Electric Power Generating Effluent Guidelines webpage.

Latest Action to Protect Communities from Coal Ash Contamination

Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, EPA is finalizing a rule to protect communities and hold polluters accountable for controlling and cleaning up the contamination created by the disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCR or coal ash), which can cause serious public health risks. The agency is finalizing regulations that require the safe management of coal ash at inactive surface impoundments at inactive power plants and historical coal ash disposal areas.

Coal ash is a byproduct of burning coal in power plants that, without proper management, can pollute waterways, groundwater, drinking water, and the air. Coal ash contains contaminants like mercury, cadmium, chromium, and arsenic which are associated with cancer and various other serious health effects. EPA’s final rule expands protections for the communities and ecosystems near active and inactive coal burning power plants, ensuring that groundwater contamination, surface water contamination, fugitive dust, floods and impoundment overflows, and threats to wildlife are all addressed.

Inactive coal ash surface impoundments at inactive facilities, referred to as “legacy CCR surface impoundments,” are more likely to be unlined and unmonitored, making them more prone to leaks and structural problems than units at facilities that are currently in service. To address these concerns, EPA established safeguards for legacy coal ash surface impoundments that largely mirror those for inactive impoundments at active facilities, including requiring the proper closure of the impoundments and remediating coal ash contamination in groundwater. EPA analysis shows the final rule will reduce existing disproportionate and adverse effects on communities with environmental justice concerns.

In addition, through implementation of the 2015 CCR rule, EPA found “historic” disposal units that are leaking and contaminating groundwater at currently regulated power plants, but which were exempt under the original 2015 regulations. These are areas where coal ash was placed directly on the land, such as coal ash in surface impoundments and landfills that closed prior to the effective date of the 2015 CCR Rule and inactive CCR landfills. This final rule extends a subset of EPA’s existing CCR requirements to these historic disposal units that will ensure any contamination from these areas is remediated, and will prevent further contamination. These requirements will apply to all active CCR facilities and inactive facilities with legacy CCR surface impoundments.

EPA does not expect this rule to affect the current operations of power plants, and therefore anticipates no impacts to electricity generation or grid reliability. This rule reflects the Administration’s commitment to reduce pollution from the power sector while providing long-term regulatory certainty and operational flexibility.

To view the fact sheet for this rulemaking visit EPA’s Legacy Coal Combustion Residuals Surface Impoundments and CCR Management Units webpage. 

For further information: press@epa.gov

 EPA Press Office:

EPA, CalEPA Release Plan for Joint Enforcement Work to Protect California Communities Overburdened by Pollution

Plan Builds on Groundbreaking Federal-State Partnership Launched through 2021 Environmental Justice-Focused Agreement

EPA, CalEPA Release Plan for Joint Enforcement Work to Protect California Communities Overburdened by Pollution

Plan Builds on Groundbreaking Federal-State Partnership Launched through 2021 Environmental Justice-Focused Agreement

Media Contacts: EPA: John Senn, senn.john@epa.gov, 415-972-3999

  CalEPA: Kalin Kipling-Mojaddedi, kalin.kipling@calepa.ca.gov, 916-291-8990

LOS ANGELES (April 24, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) today released a two-year action plan to collaboratively address environmental justice issues across California by enforcing laws that protect public health and the environment.

In 2021, EPA and CalEPA signed a five-year, first-of-its-kind agreement to expand joint federal-state activities for reducing pollution burdens, increasing environmental compliance and improving public health outcomes in overburdened California communities. In late 2022, the agencies released a 2023 Action Plan, and today they are releasing a 2024/25 action plan under the initial agreement, which builds on feedback from community partners and helps guide the agencies’ shared civil and criminal enforcement approaches through 2025.

“We are proud to continue this groundbreaking partnership with CalEPA to help ensure cleaner air, water and land for underserved communities across California,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “Enforcement of environmental laws has an enormous potential to address environmental justice issues, and working collaboratively with a committed state partner like CalEPA allows both agencies to focus our resources more narrowly on addressing community priorities.” 

“CalEPA has long committed to working closely with community partners to understand and best respond to enforcement and compliance challenges impacting their health and wellbeing. We are excited to continue our first-of-its-kind partnership with U.S. EPA and leverage our shared resources to improve air, water, and soil quality and hold corporate polluters accountable,” said CalEPA Secretary Yana Garcia.

Focal areas under the 2024/2025 Environmental Justice Enforcement Action Plan include:

• A renewed commitment to enhanced, sustained engagement with the five community forums in Los Angeles, Fresno County, Kern County, the Eastern Coachella Valley and the Bayview-Hunters Point community in San Francisco, which were piloted under the 2023 action plan.
• Continued use of rapid response task forces.
• Increased transparency and access to environmental compliance information for the public.
• Strengthened connections, including enhanced opportunities for information sharing across communities and improved communication among program areas within agencies.

Through partnerships in each of these areas, EPA and CalEPA start with a community-first approach for strategic targeting and enforcement. The agencies convene monthly meetings to understand community concerns, follow up on all complaints, work across environmental areas (e.g., air, soil, water) and levels of government to seek solutions, and regularly communicate with the forum’s participants regarding their progress and any challenges. EPA and CalEPA may use civil and criminal enforcement tools at their disposal to determine the most appropriate actions to hold facilities accountable or, when needed, refer them to the most appropriate authority.

Local successes and commitments from this partnership include:

• Response to fire at Radius Recycling in Oakland – In August 2023, a fire was reported at Radius Recycling (formerly known as Schnitzer Steel) in Oakland. After the fire was extinguished, the community had questions about persisting environmental threats from the incident. In response, EPA and CalEPA set up a rapid response task force to coordinate and expedite investigations, negotiate corrective actions, and demand accountability for environmental non-compliance. It also compiled and consolidated information and distributed it to regulators and to the public. The task force now serves as the prototype for the agencies’ new rapid response task force tool.
• Illegal Dumping in Fresno County – Communities in Fresno, like many across the state, are burdened by illegal dumping. After learning from community members about a large and longstanding illegal dumpsite in Lanare, an unincorporated community in Fresno County, EPA and CalEPA engaged the relevant state and local agencies to remove and clean up the illegal dumpsite. These efforts wrapped up in February of 2023. Under the federal-state partnership, as part of ongoing action to enhance and sustain engagement with community forums, the agencies continue to partner with the Fresno IVAN (Investigating Violations Affecting Neighborhoods) to address illegal dumping elsewhere in the county.
• Del Amo Action Committee Participation in Emergency Response Drill – The Del Amo Action Committee, a key community partner in Los Angeles, has long expressed concerns about JCI Jones, a chemical facility located immediately adjacent to residential neighborhoods in Torrance, California. Residents wanted to have a voice in emergency response planning, in the event of a chemical release. Acting on these requests, EPA and CalEPA worked with JCI Jones and local emergency responders to conduct an emergency response drill with community participation. As a result, the community is working on an emergency response plan for their community that they expect to release by early 2025.
• Alameda Corridor in Los Angeles – As part of EPA’s national priority enforcement initiatives, the Agency has committed to identifying and taking action in focus areas with environmental justice concerns across the country. One of those areas is the Mid-Alameda Corridor in Los Angeles, a 35-square-mile area with nearly half a million residents. EPA will engage with environmental and community groups in the area to receive input on challenges and investigate specific facilities or areas of concern. EPA will partner with relevant California state and local partners as part of this effort.

Read the 2024/2025 Environmental Justice Enforcement Action Plan on EPA’s website.

Read about implementation of the previous Action Plan on CalEPA’s website.

Learn about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $1 Billion in Grants to Invest in America’s Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicle Transition

EPA announces new grant program to fund zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles, infrastructure, and workforce development to tackle climate change, reduce air pollution, and advance environmental justice

WASHINGTON — Today, April 24, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the launch of the nearly $1 billion Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program to fund the replacement of certain polluting heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission vehicles. Funded through the Inflation Reduction Act under President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, EPA will award competitive grants for projects that will reduce climate and air pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, support good-paying jobs and improve air quality for communities across the country, particularly those overburdened by air pollution.

“President Biden and his entire administration are working to ensure every community can breathe clean air. EPA’s Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program will slash climate and air pollution and enhance the country’s infrastructure by funding the deployment of zero-emissions vehicles and installation of supporting infrastructure,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The program’s historic investment in zero-emission vehicles will secure our nation’s position as a global leader in clean technologies that address the impacts of climate change.”

“In addition to all the progress we’re making to electrify light-duty vehicles, today's funding from the EPA will catalyze projects that bring electric school buses, garbage trucks, and delivery vans to neighborhoods across America—reducing pollution in our communities and creating good-paying manufacturing jobs,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy.

The 2024 Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program will support the adoption and deployment of eligible Class 6 and 7 zero-emission vehicles while also funding zero-emission vehicle fueling infrastructure and workforce development and training. Across the nation, over 3 million Class 6 and Class 7 vehicles are currently in use, spanning a wide variety of vehicle types and vocations, including school buses, refuse haulers, and utility and delivery trucks.

The Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program will help advance the President’s commitment to environmental justice and the Justice40 Initiative, which sets the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments in climate, clean energy, and other areas flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution, including air pollution.  

In the United States, the transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and a leading source of health-harming pollution. Most of the vehicles eligible for replacement are powered by internal combustion engines that pre-date recent EPA emission standards. These vehicles emit harmful pollutants like nitrogen oxide, fine particulate matter, and greenhouse gases. Pollution from these vehicles is associated with respiratory and cardiovascular disease, among other serious health problems. Children, older adults, those with preexisting cardiopulmonary disease, and those of lower socioeconomic status are particularly vulnerable and are at a higher risk for these health impacts.

The implementation of the 2024 Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program is designed to help applicants across the country transition to zero-emission vehicles and reduce air pollution, which will result in improved health outcomes, less noise pollution, and the creation of good-paying clean energy jobs.

To meet the needs of diverse potential recipients and encourage participation in this grant opportunity, EPA is providing two separate sub-program competitions under this single Notice of Funding Opportunity:

• The School Bus Sub-Program for applicants replacing school buses.
• The Vocational Vehicles Sub-Program for applicants replacing non-school bus Class 6 and 7 vehicles – including box trucks, refuse haulers, dump trucks, street sweepers, delivery trucks, bucket trucks, and utility trucks.

EPA anticipates approximately 70% of available funding will be for projects under the School Bus Sub-Program and approximately 30% of available funding will be for projects under the Vocational Vehicles Sub-Program.

Eligible applicants for both competitions include States, municipalities (including school districts), Indian Tribes, territories, and nonprofit school transportation associations. EPA anticipates awarding at least 15 grants to eligible applicants from Tribes and territories. Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act statute requires that at least $400 million of the program’s funding go to projects that will serve one or more communities dealing with significant pollution as defined by EPA’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

This funding opportunity builds on the success of previous programs implemented by EPA, including the historic Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program, which reduces harmful emissions from older diesel engines, and the Clean School Bus Program, which funds clean and electric school buses under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Additionally, EPA recently announced the launch of the $3 billion Clean Ports Program to help tackle emissions from ports, including the movement of heavy-duty vehicles both in and out of communities surrounding U.S. ports.

The deadline to apply for the 2024 Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program is July 25, 2024. EPA expects to announce awards by the end of this year.

To learn more about the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program, applicant eligibility, selection process, and informational webinar dates, please visit the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program webpage.

Questions may also be directed to cleanhdvehicles@epa.gov.

For further information and to stay up to date on matters related to our office, sign up for the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles listserv.

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

 EPA Press Office:

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Maryland Clean Energy Center to Receive $62,450,000 to Deliver Residential Solar, Lowering Energy Costs and Advancing Environmental Justice Across Maryland

EPA announces selectees under Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund grant competition to deliver solar to low-income and disadvantaged households through the President’s Investing in America agenda

Washington (April 23, 2024) - Today, as the Biden-Harris Administration celebrates Earth Day, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Maryland Clean Energy Center has been selected to receive $62,450,000 through the Solar for All grant competition to develop long-lasting solar programs that enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from distributed residential solar. This award is part of the historic $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which was created under President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to lower energy costs for families, create good-quality jobs in communities that have been left behind, advance environmental justice, and tackle the climate crisis.

The Maryland SFA Program assembles a coalition of government, industry, utility, academic and non-profit organizations aligned with intention to achieve the outcomes desired with the use of these federal funds. Efforts related to the initiative proposed will focus on mobilizing capital, facilitating workforce preparedness, and building capacity with and for low-income, underserved, and disadvantaged communities to access the benefits of solar energy. Investments will serve both single and multi-family residential properties, reducing the energy burden and providing ownership opportunities for qualified eligible households in the state. 

“Today we’re delivering on President Biden’s promise that no community is left behind by investing $7 billion in solar energy projects for over 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The selectees will advance solar energy initiatives across the country, creating hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs, saving $8 billion in energy costs for families, delivering cleaner air, and combating climate change.” 

“The health and economic benefits of renewable energy should be accessible to every community” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “With today’s announcement, the Biden-Harris administration is investing almost $700,000,000 across the mid-Atlantic, enabling low-income and disadvantaged communities to make the transition to clean and affordable energy, while also reducing our impact on the world’s climate.”

“This funding award selection is tremendous for Maryland!” said Katherine Magruder, Executive Director for the Maryland Clean Energy Center (MCEC). “The strategy of our statewide coalition focuses on outreach, workforce development, and technical assistance efforts, with significant funding for financing solar installation on single and multi-family residential properties, in addition to community solar generation and solar with storage projects. MCEC will continue working with state agencies, local government representatives, NGOs, and our partners at Montgomery County Green Bank and Climate Access Fund to achieve Solar for All grant deliverables over the next five years.”

Maryland Clean Energy Center is among 49 state-level awards EPA announced today totaling approximately $5.5 billion, along with six awards to serve Tribes totaling over $500 million, and five multistate awards totaling approximately $1 billion.

A complete list of the selected applicants can be found on EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Solar for All website: https://www.epa.gov/greenhouse-gas-reduction-fund/solar-all.

EPA estimates that the 60 Solar for All recipients will enable over 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from distributed solar energy. This $7 billion investment will generate over $350 million in annual savings on electric bills for overburdened households. The program will reduce 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions cumulatively, from over four gigawatts of solar energy capacity unlocked for low-income communities over five years. Solar and distributed energy resources help improve electric grid reliability and climate resilience, which is especially important in disadvantaged communities that have long been underserved.

Solar for All will deliver on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to creating high-quality jobs with the free and fair choice to join a union for workers across the United States. This $7 billion investment in clean energy will generate an estimated 200,000 jobs across the country. All selected applicants intend to invest in local, clean energy workforce development programs to expand equitable pathways into family-sustaining jobs for the communities they are designed to serve. At least 35% of selected applicants have already engaged local or national unions, demonstrating how these programs will contribute to the foundation of a clean energy economy built on strong labor standards and inclusive economic opportunity for all American communities.

The Solar for All program also advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which set the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. All of the funds awarded through the Solar For All program will be invested in low-income and disadvantaged communities. The program will also help meet the President’s goal of achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and net-zero emissions economy by no later than 2050.

The 60 selected applicants have committed to delivering on the three objectives of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: reducing climate and air pollution; delivering benefits to low-income and disadvantaged communities; and mobilizing financing to spur additional deployment of affordable solar energy. Solar for All selected applicants are expanding existing low-income solar programs and launching new programs. In at least 25 states and territories nationwide, Solar for All is launching new programs where there has never been a substantial low-income solar program before. In these geographies, Solar for All selected applicants will open new markets for distributed solar by funding new programs that provide grants and low-cost financing for low-income, residential solar.

Review and Selection Process Information

The 60 applicants selected for funding were chosen through a competition review process. This multi-stage process included review from hundreds of experts in climate, power markets, environmental justice, labor, and consumer protection from EPA, Department of Energy, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Treasury, Department of Agriculture, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Labor, Department of Defense, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Department of Energy’s National Labs – all screened through ethics and conflict of interest checks and trained on the program requirements and evaluation criteria. Applications were scored and selected through dozens of review panels and an interagency senior review team.

EPA anticipates that awards to the selected applicants will be finalized in the summer of 2024, and selected applicants will begin funding projects through existing programs and begin expansive community outreach programs to launch new programs in the fall and winter of this year. Selections are contingent on the resolution of all administrative disputes related to the competitions.

Informational Webinars

EPA will host informational webinars as part of the program’s commitment to public transparency. EPA has scheduled a public webinar for the Solar for All program, and registration details are included below. Information on other GGRF webinars can be found on EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Engagement Opportunities webpage.

Solar for All webinar: Monday, April 29, 2024, 4:00pm – 4:30pm ET. Register for the April 29 meeting

 EPA Press Office:

Reaction to EPA’s Solar for All Shows Positive Momentum for Solar Power Across NJ, NY, PR and USVI

NEW YORK (April 23, 2024) - Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency selected four agencies in EPA Region 2, which includes New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to receive a total of almost $625 million through the Solar for All grant program. The funding will be leveraged to develop long-lasting solar programs that enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to benefit from solar power.

The selectees within EPA’s Region 2 are:

• New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, selected to receive $156.1 million
• New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, selected to receive $249.8 million
• Puerto Rico Office of Management and Budget, selected to receive $156.1 million
• Virgin Islands Energy Office, selected to receive $62.5 million

This award is part of the historic $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which was created under President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to lower energy costs for families, create good-quality jobs in communities that have been left behind, advance environmental justice and tackle the climate crisis. The national announcement can be found in EPA’s Newsroom. A complete list of the selected applicants can be found on EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Solar for All website.

Here's what officials are saying across the region:

New Jersey:

“New Jersey is once again utilizing innovative strategies and equitable clean energy solutions to leverage the Biden Administration’s landmark investments,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “In addition to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening New Jersey’s grid infrastructure, the projects supported by this unprecedented funding will produce significant cost-savings for hard-working New Jersey families, including tens of thousands of overburdened households across the state. I want to thank President Biden and his administration, as well as our congressional delegation, for delivering transformative and necessary climate funding in the Inflation Reduction Act.” 

“I am thrilled that New Jersey has received $156 million to tackle the major barriers that have prevented the adoption of solar energy by low-income and disadvantaged households,” said Senator Cory Booker. “This historic investment by EPA’s $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund was made possible by Democrats and President Biden through the Inflation Reduction Act, which is actively lowering energy costs for families and creating a cleaner environment for all.” 

“Today’s announcement is a huge step forward in the transition to a clean economy. These investments will help ensure New Jersey is ready to do our part to tackle the challenges of the climate crisis head on. As Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee last Congress, I fought to include significant funding for investments in renewable energy so that we can empower Americans with new, good-paying jobs and lower energy costs. The Solar for All program is a shining example of those efforts,” said U.S. Representative Frank Pallone (NJ-06). “I’m proud that our state is leading the way forward toward a clean, low-carbon future and proving that we don’t have to choose between growing our economy and fighting climate change.” 

"Today's announcement from the Biden administration underscores the transformative power of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund as we move toward a clean energy future,” said U.S. Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-09). “My Democratic colleagues and I fought hard to pass this legislation because our children and our grandchildren deserve to inherit a clean and sustainable environment. With this announcement today, I am thrilled to see our shared vision of a clean energy future taking shape. This initiative is a critical step forward in making renewable energy accessible to all Americans, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and fostering economic growth in our communities. I look forward to continuing this vital work alongside President Biden.” 

“As a former electrician, I know how important our continued investment in solar power is to lower energy costs for working families, create jobs, and reduce our carbon footprint,” said U.S. Representative Norcross (NJ-01). “The Inflation Reduction Act continues to deliver for New Jersey, and the Solar for All program will accelerate the benefits of clean energy throughout South Jersey. I’m proud to have worked with President Biden to enact this historic investment in our climate and our communities, and I will continue to support clean energy and its economic opportunities.” 

“I fought hard to pass the Inflation Reduction Act because bold federal action was greatly needed to address the climate crisis and support states and residents through the transition to clean energy. With the Solar for All program, we are making clean energy more affordable and lowering families’ monthly utility bills. I want to thank the EPA for awarding New Jersey this grant and I look forward to the strides our state will make accelerating solar usage and lowering our carbon footprint with this funding,” said U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11). 

New York:

“New York State has positioned itself as a leader in community solar, ensuring more residents than ever before have access to clean, affordable solar energy,” said New York Governor Hochul. “We thank President Biden, Administrator Regan, and the New York Congressional Delegation for their support and are proud to partner with the Environmental Protection Agency to advance this historic investment in community solar and build a clean and healthy future for New Yorkers.”

“The Inflation Reduction Act is powering a major $250 million boost in residential solar power for families across the Empire State. This is a win-win-win: helping New York fight climate change, lowering costs, and creating new, good-paying jobs,” said Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer. “Solar is one of the most cost-effective forms of electricity and one of the easiest ways to help families lower their energy bills every month. I was proud to support NYSERDA’s Solar for All application and this Earth Day, the future of New York’s energy grid is looking sunny, clean, and bright thanks to the historic investments of our Inflation Reduction Act.” 

“Thanks to the Biden Administration's award of nearly $250 million in Solar for All grants to New York, we are set to significantly advance our climate goals by enabling solar installations for numerous low-income and disadvantaged households across the state," said U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler (NY-12). "I am proud to have supported this crucial funding through the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, and I am thankful to the Biden Administration for choosing New York to benefit from this transformative program." 

“This Earth Day, I am proud that our state is taking significant steps to curb the use of fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy. This $250 million in funding for New York State under the Solar for All grant program will help deliver solar power to working families, lowering energy bills and emissions in the process,” said U.S. Representative Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07).  “I was proud to vote in favor of the Solar for All program through the Inflation Reduction Act, and I thank the Biden administration and Governor Hochul for helping make this possible.” 

“This announcement is yet another powerful step in furthering environmental justice, supporting good paying jobs, and cutting energy costs,” said U.S. Representative Paul Tonko (NY-20). “Solar offers tremendous advantages, from helping our nation reach its renewable energy goals, to reducing power bills for families and communities, but for far too many families, these benefits are out of reach. That is why I was proud to support the Solar for All program in the historic Inflation Reduction Act, which will ensure that all Americans, regardless of their income or zip code, have the opportunity to share in the benefits of our clean energy economy. I’m immensely grateful to the Biden Administration for their unwavering commitment to an equitable clean energy future.”

“The best way to celebrate Earth Day is with real action to protect our environment—and that’s exactly what the Solar for All grant awards will help do,” said U.S. Representative Joe Morelle (NY-25). “Investing in solar energy is essential to reducing our carbon footprint while also lowering costs for families and creating high-quality job opportunities in our communities. I’m proud to support these efforts to invest in sustainability and work towards a clean future for all Americans.” 

“Thanks to the Biden Administration’s Investing in America agenda, sunlight will power millions more homes across the country, including right here in New York State,” said U.S. representative Tom Suozzi (NY-03). “Solar for All means that low and middle-income New Yorkers will not only breathe cleaner air as we generate more power from clean energy sources, but will also see their electricity costs go down as widespread solar helps stabilize the grid at peak times. Solar energy is a win for us all.”

“I want to thank President Biden for working with us to take swift and bold executive action to protect the planet by launching the American Climate Corps, and secondly for investing billions in clean, resilient energy via the Solar for All competition, among so many other significant climate victories,” said U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14). 

USVI:

“I am very pleased that the Virgin Islands Energy Office was selected to receive the Solar for All grant through EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Providing opportunities for energy resilience is paramount to improving the quality of life for underserved residents and families. We deserve reliable, affordable, and clean power like more wealthy communities. Living on an isolated small island with limited resources makes affordable clean energy even more challenging. The Solar for All program will make the goal for affordable resilient clean energy even more achievable, as well as deliver household savings, increase access for low-income and disadvantaged households, facilitate ownership models that support communities build equity projects, increase resiliency by way of creating capacity, and invest in quality jobs and business,” said U.S. Representative Stacey Plaskett (USVI). 

“The US Virgin Islands as a whole are a disadvantaged community that has been historically burdened by centralized fossil fuel-based power systems that suffer from high energy costs, and low reliability. The Virgin Islands Energy Office's successful selection of its Solar for All application has presented a historic opportunity for the territory to fast-track an equitable energy transition that holistically leverages our islands’ most abundant natural resource,” said Kyle Fleming, Director of the Virgin Islands Energy Office.

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