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 EPA Press Office:

EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan Addresses EPA Staff to Mark Historic Environmental Progress Under President Biden

Remarks highlight “Bold Promises, Real Results” in landmark speech at Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C.

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

WASHINGTON – Today, June 27, at an event convening all EPA staff across headquarters and its 10 regional offices, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan delivered keynote remarks to mark historic progress achieved under President Biden’s leadership to address climate change, advance environmental justice, and highlight unprecedented investments in science and career staff expertise. Under the banner of “Bold Promises, Real Results,” Administrator Regan touted progress to advance the President’s clear vision and bold agenda set forth on Day One of his Administration.

Administrator Regan started by recounting the weight of the moment in early 2021, and the staff’s resolve to take on big challenges as the country was still grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic:

While the circumstances should have felt overwhelming… they weren’t… because I know who YOU are.

Team EPA is tenacious…resilient...and fearless…

The fight, the spirit, and the perseverance of our team is unparalleled…

Because together, there is absolutely nothing we can’t accomplish…

From day one, President Biden promised a bold and ambitious environmental agenda… and EPA was at the center.

Since then, thanks to the dedicated career workforce, EPA has made remarkable strides to protect human health and the environment in a way that ensures all people – especially those that have been historically overburdened by pollution and underserved by federal investments – are protected equally under the law. To ensure these communities were at the forefront of EPA decision-making, Administrator Regan launched the Journey to Justice in 2021:

For far too long, too many communities across our country have disproportionately suffered from a lack of investment and adequate access to critical public health protections.

President Biden is fighting with the sense of urgency that pollution and the climate crisis demands…and he’s rising to the occasion to right these longstanding wrongs. 

Buoyed by his clarity of vision and strong sense of purpose, we launched our Journey to Justice tour in 2021.

I wanted to meet people in their communities…

I wanted to hear directly from some of our nation’s most neglected and underserved communities…I wanted to see what they see.

And we didn’t just visit these communities to hear about their challenges…we sought to see and feel them firsthand so that our decisions were informed by real-life experiences.

Building on these insights, EPA established the first ever Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights in September 2022. This national program office, with over 200 staff and billions in new funding to invest in community solutions, elevates environmental justice to the highest levels of the federal government, ensuring dedicated efforts to address longstanding disparities for years to come.

This ambitious agenda to protect public health and the environment has been complemented and accelerated by President Biden’s unprecedented investments in America, which charged EPA with the deployment of more than $100 billion to ensure all communities have funding to address critical infrastructure, climate and environmental justice needs:

President Biden showed even more confidence in you by securing more than $100 billion dollars through historic legislation.

These billions of dollars in resources complement our traditional mission…spurring us to move further and faster than ever before while creating jobs, growing our economy and supercharging private investment in clean technologies.

Administrator Regan also spent time highlighting the role young people have played in this movement, from the advocates at the forefront of social change, to the emerging leaders who have joined EPA’s ranks to the members of the newly established National Environmental Youth Advisory Council:

History has shown us that young people have always played a central role in demanding social and political change.

From the young leaders who peacefully protested segregated lunch counters during the civil rights movement…

To the groups of students who fought to lower the national voting age from 21 to 18…

To the college students who organized national demonstrations that led to the very first earth day… 

To the brave young folks demanding climate action NOW…

Every generation has its own defining challenge…

And just like President Biden said, the challenge of our time is climate change.

I’m grateful for the young employees who’ve joined our ranks, as well as the members of EPA’s newly launched National Environmental Youth Advisory Council—because young people deserve a seat at the table… their leadership is crucial to our future.

These young leaders will bridge the gap between EPA and the communities they represent—ensuring that the environmental issues impacting communities across the country, are heard, and addressed.

The speech concluded with a call for continued momentum and agency growth, with over 5,000 new employees onboarded since 2021, and the role of EPA in keeping the nation safe for generations to come:

America needs a strong EPA.

An EPA that can respond to the communities shattered by catastrophic wildfires and hurricanes…

An EPA that partners with the advocates who have dedicated their lives to fighting for cleaner air, safer water, and healthier communities…

An EPA that empowers the parents who are working tirelessly to protect their children from PFAS and lead exposure…

And an EPA that invests in young leaders who are dedicating their lives to protecting our planet. 

Let me tell you what I know…

I know our future is bright, and the state of EPA is stronger than ever. 

I know we won’t let up until all communities have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink…

And, I couldn’t be prouder to lead this EPA… at this critical moment in time…under this President’s leadership.

EPA remains steadfast in our mission to deliver bold and effective solutions for environmental protection and public health. These accomplishments demonstrate our agency’s dedication to embedding environmental justice in all of our work and engaging the next generation in the fight against climate change.

Additional Background on Agency Accomplishments

Climate and Air Pollution Reduction (pdf)

Environmental Justice (pdf)

Scientific Integrity (pdf)

 EPA Press Office:

Biden-Harris Administration announces $22.4 million to protect and restore Chesapeake Bay through Investing in America agenda

June 25, 2024

Contact Information

R3 Press (R3Press@epa.gov)

PHILADELPHIA (June 25, 2024) – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $22.4 million in grants to 13 selectees, through the Innovative Nutrient & Sediment Reduction grant program as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The 13 grants will leverage $35.3 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of $57.7 million. This program is currently administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) through a grant from EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office. Over $12.4 million in funding for these awards comes from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, while the remaining $10 million comes from annual EPA appropriations.

Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction program 

The Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction (INSR) program aims to accelerate the implementation of water quality improvements, specifically through the collaborative and coordinated efforts of sustainable, regional-scale partnerships and networks of practitioners with a shared focus on water quality restoration and protection.  

Since 2006, the INSR Program has provided more than $200 million to over 250 projects that have reduced 36 million pounds of nitrogen, nine million pounds of phosphorus, and nearly 800,000 tons of sediment across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 

“These grants reflect our continuing commitment to protect the Chesapeake Bay and preserve our nation’s environmental legacy for future generations,” said EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Office Director Martha Shimkin. “It is inspiring to be working with so many awardees who have long been committed to preserving, protecting, and enhancing the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.”

 

“A healthy Chesapeake Bay is vital for Maryland’s economy, environment, and the well-being of our families,” said Senator Van Hollen. “With these resources from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we continue to foster partnerships to reduce nutrient runoff into the Bay watershed. These efforts both improve the Bay’s water quality and preserve natural wildlife habitat while supporting Maryland farmers.”

“The Chesapeake Bay is at the heart of Maryland’s economy and culture. And as the nation’s longest estuary, its significance is felt throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond. Securing its health and vitality is in all our best interests,” said Senator Cardin. “Through community partnerships and government action, we have made considerable progress in Bay restoration, but there is much more we need to do. While our dead zone is shrinking, urban and suburban runoff into the Bay is increasing and oyster crops are still not even close to their historic levels. With this additional support from the Biden Administration, we can invest in more community-led restoration projects that build on our progress and continue to preserve and protect one of our region’s most important natural resources.” 

 

Below is a list of the selectees:

1. Chesapeake Conservancy, INC. – Accelerating Stream Delisting in Central Pennsylvania
2. Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley – Accelerating Clean Water and Conservation Outcomes in Shenandoah Valley (VA)
3. James River Association – Growing Riparian Partnerships to Improve Water Quality in the James River Watershed (VA)
4. Tioga County Soil and Water Conservation District – Stream Corridor Restoration in the Upper Susquehanna Watershed (NY, PA)
5. Sustainable Chesapeake – Improving Manure and Nutrient Management in the Chesapeake Bay Region (MD, NY, VA, PA)
6. Friends of the Rappahannock – Advancing Climate-Smart Conservation Through Innovation and Collaboration (VA)
7. Conservation Foundation of Lancaster County – Reducing Runoff and Reaching New Leaders in Lancaster (PA)
8. Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake – Developing Community Partnerships for Green Infrastructure and Equity Enhancement (PA)
9. Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Inc. – Sustainable Dairy Partnerships and Corporate Investment in the Chesapeake Bay (MD, NY, PA, VA)
10. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources – Implementing Forestry Best Management Practices in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (PA)
11. Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Inc. – Increasing Riparian Forest Buffer Adoption Across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (MD, PA, VA, WV)
12. Trout Unlimited, Inc. – Improving Water Quality Through Riparian Restoration Practices (VA, WV)
13. The Mid-Atlantic 4R Nutrient Stewardship Association – Accelerating Water Quality Outcomes through Stronger Nutrient Stewardship Partnerships (DE, MD, PA)

For more information and a complete list of the 2024 Chesapeake Bay Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction grants recipients, please see: https://www.nfwf.org/sites/default/files/2024-06/nfwf-chesapeake-insr-20240531-gs.pdf

These awards reflect EPA’s commitment to the Chesapeake Bay Program and demonstrate its focus on strengthening partnerships to restore the health and productivity of the Chesapeake Bay. Funding for these programs will empower communities to implement local programs to restore the Chesapeake Bay’s water quality while advancing President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which set the goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. 

Background:  

The Chesapeake Bay Program is a regional partnership made up of federal agencies, six states, local governments, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations that lead and direct the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay and its 64,000-square-mile watershed. 

Visit the EPA’s website to learn more about its support for the Chesapeake Bay.  

Visit the EPA website to learn more about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and available funding opportunities.

What's Your Best Pollinator Plant? 🐝🦋

 EPA Press Office:

EPA to Award a Half Million Dollars to South Bronx Organization to Combat Impacts of Climate Change

Contact: Stephen McBay, (212) 637-3672, mcbay.stephen@epa.gov

NEW YORK (June 21, 2024) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia and We Stay/Nos Quedamos joined other dignitaries at a rooftop community garden to mark the selection of the organization to be awarded a half million dollars to support a climate justice project. The grant is under the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving Cooperative Agreement Program (EJ CPS) to advance a new climate resilience and emergency preparedness project in the South Bronx.

Through the project, entitled Climate Justice, Community Resilience, and Emergency Preparedness Curricula for South Bronx Youth and Adults, Nos Quedamos will give South Bronx community residents the skills needed to prepare for climate change and associated impacts such as flooding, blackouts, and the urban heat island effect. The grant will also support improvements to physical infrastructure in the form of hubs. These local climate resiliency hubs at three public sites will be equipped with solar panels, wireless charging stations, water catchment systems and more. They will serve as havens during emergency and climate-related events. Nos Quedamos’ project will bolster community knowledge to increase local climate leadership.

“As we combat extreme heat and other climate issues, EPA is happy to support organizations like Nos Quedamos leading the way towards sustainable, healthier communities,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “This grant, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act will help support climate resilience efforts in communities such as the South Bronx in a very real way.”

"We Stay/Nos Quedamos is excited to receive the EJ CPS grant from the EPA, through which we will be developing a novel environmental justice and housing justice curriculum for youth leaders in the Bronx, who are on the frontlines of climate justice and community resiliency work” said Nos Quedamos’ Basil Alsubee. “Our curriculum is produced through a joint collaboration with the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance and the City University of New York, bringing faculty, students, organizers, and youth community members at the table to discuss learning objectives and pedagogy. Our curriculum centers on field trips, movie screenings, board games, mapping activities on GIS, and other interactive skills-based and hyper-local place-based learning tools. The curriculum combines knowledge and practice in community organizing and community planning, gearing our youth to be change-makers, educators, and planners in their own communities."

“EPA’s EJ CPS program is vital to advancing environmental justice and helping organizations that provide assistance to communities impacted by climate change, pollution, and other environmental stressors,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “I am thrilled to see We Stay/Nos Quedamos receive this $500,000 in federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act that will help boost climate resilience and emergency preparedness in the South Bronx. As the impacts of climate change continue to harm our communities, I will continue to fight for federal resources to support organizations working to advance environmental justice.”

“As we increasingly feel the effects of climate change, there is no nobler cause than working on the ground to prepare our communities for the ever-changing future,” said U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres (NY-15). “It is my honor to stand with Nos Quedamos and their critical work of fostering resilience. Congratulations to them on securing this transformative grant, which I know will be reinvested into the people of the South Bronx and make a real difference. I look forward to working with the EPA and other federal agencies to increase opportunities for grassroots environmental organizations in the South Bronx and beyond.” 

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said, “I applaud the Biden-Harris Administration, EPA Administrator Regan, and Regional Administrator Garcia for their continued commitment and investments to ensure the Bronx and other communities vulnerable to sources of pollution are able to improve vital physical infrastructure to increase resiliency in the wake of climate change impacts. This $500,000 federal investment complements the many actions Governor Hochul, DEC, and other public and private partners are advancing to help improve resiliency to extreme heat, flooding, and other climate impacts in environmental justice communities.”

EPA’s EJ CPS program provides financial assistance to eligible organizations working to address local environmental or public health issues in their communities. The program builds upon President Biden’s Executive Orders 13985 and 14008, creating a designation of funds exclusively for small nonprofit organizations, thus ensuring that grant resources reach organizations that may have not applied for federal funding in the past.

We Stay/Nos Quedamos, along with four other New York city based community-based organizations were selected for EJ CPS grants late last year totaling close to $1.8 million in total. 

From the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, achieving environmental justice has been a top priority. in August 2022, Congress passed, and President Biden signed, the Inflation Reduction Act into law, creating the largest investment in environmental and climate justice in U.S. history. EPA received $3 billion in appropriations to provide grants and technical assistance for activities advancing environmental and climate justice. 

Learn more information on the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving Cooperative Agreement Program.

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

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 EPA Press Office:

EPA Announces $250,000 to Winners of the Small Communities - Big Challenges Prize Competition

WASHINGTON – Today, June 21, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $250,000 in cash prizes for the winners of the Small Communities — Big Challenges  Prize Competition. The winners, representing local governments across five states, had innovative and unique strategies for engaging with their rural communities to identify environmental and public health needs of importance to the community. This engagement addresses longstanding needs because rural communities often do not receive as much support as more populous, urban communities and they also experience, across all ethnic and racial groups, a significantly higher poverty rate than urban America.

“EPA recognizes that rural communities face unique environmental and public health challenges,” said Chris Frey, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “The local governmental winners of this challenge are working with their communities to deliver exemplary science-based approaches to address local environmental and public health issues collaboratively.”

“Environmental justice at its core ensures that anyone, regardless of zip code, has equitable access to resources,” said Theresa Segovia, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. “This competition helps deliver those resources to rural communities and their local governments, while enhancing EPA’s knowledge of the barriers they face. Our sincere congratulations to the winners.”

EPA awarded eight prizes: $35,000 for the top four winning teams and $27,500 for the four other winning teams for a total of $250,000 in cash prizes. Additionally, one representative from each of the teams received a 1-year National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) membership. Selected projects identified local environmental challenges and engaged with their communities to communicate about issues including water quality, indoor air quality, radon levels, food waste, and recycling.

The “Small Communities, Big Challenges” competition is a partnership between EPA, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and the National Environmental Health Association.

SCBC winners and the titles of their submissions are listed below:

• Clay County Health Department, Clay County, W. Va., for Meeting the Clay County Community Where They Are On Plastic Recycling
• Dunn County Land & Water Conservation Division, Dunn County, Wis., for Dunn County, Wisconsin—Groundwater Contamination Study
• Florida Department of Health, Orange County, Fla., for Building on Bithlo’s Transformation
• Logan County Health District, Logan County, Ohio, for Covid-19 Indoor Air Quality In Area School Districts
• Marathon County Conservation Planning and Zoning Department, Marathon County, Wis., for Using the “Marathon Method” to Tackle Elevated Nitrates in Municipal Drinking Water Supplies
• Oconto County Public Health, Oconto County, Wis., for Radon Testing in the North Woods—What is That? I Could Have That?
• Whatcom County Health and Community Services, Whatcom, Wash., for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Foothills Region Through Creative Food Recovery “Freedges”
• Whitman County Public Health, Whitman County, Wash., for 2023 Lower Snake River HAB Response

Read the winning Small Communities, Big Challenges submissions.

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

 EPA Press Office:

EPA, DOE Announce $850 Million to Reduce Methane Pollution from the Oil and Gas Sector

Funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda builds on nearly 100 cross-government actions that are sharply reducing methane pollution in support of clean air, good jobs and climate action

WASHINGTON — Today, June 21, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy announced that applications are open for $850 million in federal funding for projects that will help monitor, measure, quantify and reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sectors as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. Oil and natural gas facilities are the nation’s largest industrial source of methane, a climate “super pollutant” that is many times more potent than carbon dioxide and is responsible for approximately one third of the warming from greenhouse gases occurring today. Today’s announcement builds on unprecedented action across the Biden Administration to dramatically cut methane pollution, with agencies taking nearly 100 actions in 2023 alone, including the finalization of an EPA rule that will yield an 80% reduction in methane emissions from covered oil and gas facilities.  

This funding from the Inflation Reduction Act—the largest climate investment in history—will help mitigate legacy air pollution, create good jobs in the energy sector and disadvantaged communities, reduce waste and inefficiencies in U.S. oil and gas operations, and realize near-term emissions reductions, helping the United States reach President Biden’s ambitious climate and clean air goals. The funding will specifically help small oil and natural gas operators reduce methane emissions and transition to available and innovative methane emissions reduction technologies, while also supporting partnerships that improve emissions measurement and provide accurate, transparent data to impacted communities. Today’s announcement constitutes a key part of broader technical and financial assistance to be provided by the Methane Emissions Reduction Program.  

“Today, we’re building on strong standards and historic progress to cut methane pollution and protect communities across the country,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “These investments from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda will drive the deployment of available and advanced technologies to better understand where methane emissions are coming from. That will help us more effectively reduce harmful pollution, tackle the climate crisis and create good-paying jobs.” 

“As we continue to accelerate the nation’s clean energy transition, we are taking steps now to drastically reduce harmful emissions from America’s largest source of industrial methane – the oil and gas sector,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “I am proud to partner with EPA to help revitalize energy communities and deliver long-lasting health and environmental benefits across the country.”  

“President Biden’s historic investment agenda has enabled the U.S. to aggressively and ambitiously take the actions we need to decarbonize every sector of the economy. We are making significant progress in our efforts to cut pollution – including super-pollutants like methane – while creating thousands of quality jobs and lowering energy costs for Americans,” said Assistant to President Biden and National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “From implementing the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan that lays out a detailed roadmap for the federal government, to launching a Methane Task Force that brings all relevant agencies together around robust implementation, to hosting the first-ever White House methane summit that has catalyzed cross-sector partnerships, President Biden’s leadership on tackling methane is part of a comprehensive and historic climate effort that is spurring technological innovation, creating good-paying jobs and economic opportunity, cutting pollution in every sector, and holding polluters accountable. Today’s investments further those aims by providing the resources needed to monitor methane emissions and rapidly identify potential leaks to help protect our communities and planet.”  

The primary objectives of this funding opportunity announcement are to: 

1. Help small operators significantly reduce methane emissions from oil and natural gas operations, using commercially available technology solutions for methane emissions monitoring, measurement, quantification and mitigation. 

2. Accelerate the repair of methane leaks from low-producing wells and the deployment of early-commercial technology solutions to reduce methane emissions from new and existing equipment such as natural gas compressors, gas-fueled engines, associated gas flares, liquids unloading operations, handling of produced water and other equipment leakage. 

3. Improve communities’ access to empirical data and participation in monitoring through multiple installations of monitoring and measurement technologies while establishing collaborative relationships between equipment providers and communities. 

4. Enhance the detection and measurement of methane emissions from oil and gas operations at regional scale, while ensuring nationwide data consistency through the creation of collaborative partnerships. These partnerships will span the country’s oil and gas-producing regions and draw in oil and natural gas owners and operators, universities, environmental justice organizations, community leaders, unions, technology developers, Tribes, state regulatory agencies, non-governmental research organizations, federally funded research and development centers and DOE’s National Laboratories.  

A competitive solicitation for this funding will enable a broad range of eligible U.S. entities to apply, including industry, academia, non-governmental organizations, Tribes and state and local governments. This funding opportunity is expected to achieve measurable outcomes for skilled workforce training, community involvement and environmental justice. Funding applicants are required to submit Community Benefits Plans to demonstrate meaningful engagement with and tangible benefits to the communities in which the proposed projects will be located. These plans must provide details on the applicant’s commitments to community and labor engagement, quality job creation, diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, and benefits to disadvantaged communities as part of the Justice40 Initiative. Established in Executive Order 14008, the President’s Justice40 Initiative set the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.  

Read more details of this funding opportunity. For any questions on the application, applicants must submit written questions through the FedConnect portal at FedConnect.net. For assistance with any technical issues with grants.gov, please contact 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. More information, including applicant eligibility, can be found on the government grants page. 

About the Methane Emissions Reduction Program 

The Inflation Reduction Act, through the Methane Emissions Reduction Program, directed EPA to take action to tackle wasteful methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. Utilizing resources provided by Congress in the Inflation Reduction Act, EPA is partnering with DOE to provide $1.36 billion in financial and technical assistance to improve methane monitoring and reduce methane and other greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector. These investments are also expected to result in co-benefits of reducing non-greenhouse gas emissions such as volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants.  

Today’s announcement builds on the $350 million in formula grant funding EPA and DOE announced in December 2023 to states to support industry efforts to voluntarily reduce emissions at low-producing wells, monitor emissions, and conduct environmental restoration at well pads.  

Visit EPA and DOE websites for more information about the Methane Emissions Reduction Program. 

Delivering on the U.S. Methane Action Plan 

The funding opportunity announced today is a part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s comprehensive, whole-of-government strategy to reduce harmful methane emissions across economic sectors, as outlined in the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan. Below is a summary of recent and ongoing initiatives:   

• In December, EPA announced final standards that will sharply reduce methane and other harmful air pollutants from the oil and natural gas industry, including from hundreds of thousands of existing sources nationwide, promote the use of cutting-edge methane detection technologies and deliver significant economic and public health benefits.   

• In May, EPA issued a final rule to strengthen, expand and update methane emissions reporting requirements for petroleum and natural gas systems under EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, as required by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. The final revisions will ensure greater transparency and accountability for methane pollution from oil and natural gas facilities by improving the accuracy of annual emissions reporting from these operations. 

• EPA is working to finalize a Waste Emissions Charge rule, which will provide an incentive for companies to adopt best practices to reduce wasteful emissions and help capture near-term opportunities for methane reductions while EPA and states work toward full implementation of the final oil and gas rule.  

• The Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration proposed a new rule to significantly improve the detection and repair of leaks from more than 2.7 million miles of natural gas pipelines. The proposed rule would deploy pipeline workers across the country to keep more product in the pipe and prevent dangerous accidents, creating up to $2.3 billion annually in estimated benefits.  
• The Department of the Interior is deploying nearly $5 billion funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for workers to plug tens of thousands of orphaned oil and gas wells throughout the United States, including $64 million in 2023 for hundreds of improperly abandoned wells on federal lands, up to $660 million for states to plug thousands of high-priority orphaned wells on state and private lands, and an initial investment of nearly $40 million for Tribal Nations to address orphaned wells on their lands.  
• The Department of Agriculture, EPA and Food and Drug Administration recently launched a new Draft National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics to accelerate the prevention of food loss and waste – a major source of methane emissions.  
• The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law appropriated more than $11 billion over 15 years to eligible states and Tribes to reclaim abandoned coal mines, which will address dangerous safety and environmental conditions, including the elimination of major sources of water and methane pollution.  
• The Administration recently released the first ever National Strategy to Advance an Integrated U.S. Greenhouse Gas Measurement, Monitoring, and Information System to enhance coordination and integration of greenhouse gas – including methane – measurement, monitoring and information efforts. Such efforts include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s collection of high-resolution methane leak data via the EMIT Mission on the International Space Station, aircraft flights coordinated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Institute for Standards and Technology to connect satellite data to specific emissions sources on the ground, and the work of DOE and the State Department to coordinate international methane data collection and measurement efforts via a new Measurement, Monitoring, Reporting and Verification Working Group and the UN Methane Alert and Response System.  

Together, these efforts across the Biden-Harris Administration are accelerating reductions in methane emissions, cutting costs, supporting clean air and public health in disadvantaged communities, creating good jobs and advancing President Biden’s ambitious climate goals.  

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

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Makes a Splash with Award of $319,000 to Puerto Rico to Support Water Quality Monitoring at Beaches to Protect Public Health (Para Español al final de la pagina)

Contact: Lilliana Aleman-Roman, (787)-977-5816, AlemanRoman.Lilliana@epa.gov

NEW YORK (June 20, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $319,00 in grant funding to help Puerto Rico ’s coastal communities protect the health of beachgoers. The funding will assist Puerto Rico in conducting water quality monitoring and public notification programs for their beaches.

“This funding helps keep beaches and coastal waters clean so that people can have fun, relax and enjoy all the beauty that Puerto Rico coastlines have to offer,” said Lisa F. Garcia, Regional Administrator. “EPA funding is vital for successful beach monitoring and notification programs.”

Under the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act, the EPA awards grants to eligible state, tribal, and territorial applicants to help them and their local government partners monitor water quality at coastal and Great Lakes beaches. When bacteria levels are too high for safe swimming, these agencies notify the public by posting beach advisories or closings.

Since 2001, the EPA has awarded nearly $230 million in BEACH Act grants to test beach waters for illness-causing bacteria, identify the sources of pollution problems, and help notify the public. Three factors influenced the EPA’s allocations for the 2024 grant amounts: (1) the length of the beach season, (2) the number of miles of shoreline, and (3) the populations of coastal counties.

To be eligible for BEACH Act grants, states, Tribes, and territories must have coastal and Great Lakes recreational waters adjacent to beaches or similar points of access used by the public. They must also have a water quality standards program and EPA-approved numeric recreational water quality standards for coastal waters. Additionally, eligible entities must meet 11 performance criteria for implementing monitoring, assessment, and notification components of the beach program.

More information on BEACH Act grants.

Check the relevant state, Tribal or territorial beach program website for closing or advisory information at a particular beach.

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

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La EPA causa sensación con una adjudicación de $319,000 a Puerto Rico para apoyar el monitoreo de la calidad del agua en las playas a fin de proteger la salud pública

Contacto: Lilliana Aleman-Roman, (787)-977-5816, AlemanRoman.Lilliana@epa.gov

NUEVA YORK (20 de junio de 2024) – Hoy, la Agencia Federal de Protección Ambiental de Estados Unidos (EPA) anunció una subvención de $319,000 para ayudar a las comunidades costeras de Puerto Rico a proteger la salud de los bañistas. Los fondos ayudarán a Puerto Rico a llevar a cabo programas de monitoreo de calidad de agua y programas para mantener al público informado sobre sus playas.

“Este financiamiento ayuda a mantener limpias las playas y las aguas costeras para que la gente pueda divertirse, relajarse y disfrutar de toda la belleza que las costas de Puerto Rico ofrecen”, indicó Lisa F. García, administradora regional. “El financiamiento de la EPA es vital para el éxito de los programas de monitoreo y notificación sobre el estatus de las playas”.

En virtud de la Ley de Evaluación Ambiental de Playas y Salud Costera (BEACH), la EPA otorga subvenciones a los solicitantes estatales, naciones indígenas y territoriales elegibles para ayudar a ellos y a sus socios del gobierno local a monitorear la calidad del agua en las playas costeras y de los Grandes Lagos. Cuando los niveles de bacterias son demasiado altos para nadar de manera segura, estas agencias notifican al público publicando avisos o cierres de playas.

Desde 2001, la EPA ha adjudicado casi $230 millones en subvenciones de la Ley BEACH para analizar las aguas de las playas en busca de bacterias que causan enfermedades, identificar las fuentes de problemas de contaminación y ayudar a notificar al público. Tres factores influyeron en las asignaciones de la EPA para los montos de las subvenciones de 2024: (1) la duración de la temporada de playa, (2) la cantidad de millas de costa y (3) las poblaciones de los condados costeros.

A fin de ser elegible para recibir las subvenciones de la Ley BEACH, los estados, las naciones indígenas y los territorios deben tener aguas recreativas costeras y de los Grandes Lagos adyacentes a playas o puntos de acceso similares utilizados por el público. También deben tener un programa de normas de calidad del agua y estándares numéricos de calidad del agua recreativa aprobados por la EPA para las aguas costeras. Además, las entidades elegibles deben cumplir con 11 criterios de desempeño para implementar los componentes de monitoreo, evaluación y notificación del programa de playas.

Más información sobre subvenciones de la Ley BEACH.

Consulte el sitio web estatal, tribal o territorial correspondiente sobre el programa BEACH para ver información acerca de cierres o notificaciones en una playa en particular.

Siga la Región 2 de la EPA en X y visite nuestra página en Facebook. Para obtener más información sobre la Región 2 de la EPA, visite nuestro sitio web.

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