EPA Announces $2 Million for Brownfield Sites in Arkansas

 USEPA News Release:

EPA Announces $2 Million for Brownfield Sites in Arkansas

EPA announces the largest investment ever in brownfields communities made by President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda

DALLAS, TEXAS (June 7, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $2 million in funding from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to expedite the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites in Arkansas while advancing environmental justice. EPA selected the Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, and Westminster Village of the Mid-South for grants that will fund a range of activities to assess and clean up abandoned and potentially contaminated sites, known as brownfields.

“Arkansas’s brownfields grant recipients have an impressive record of leveraging their funding into lasting improvements for communities,” said Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “Their projects, including renewable energy and affordable housing, show the variety of benefits that can start with a brownfields grant.”

 

EPA selected Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, Inc., (CAPDD) for a $500,000 Community Wide Assessment grant, targeted toward the city of Brinkley in Monroe County. CAPDD will encourage redevelopment to use energy efficient sources and renewable energy. One of the main redevelopments is a 1.5-acre city park with a community gathering area and greenspace for exercise and leisure. The site will include a playground, walking trail, pavilion, and natural landscaped area.

“The Brownfields grant from EPA will ignite a revitalization for the City of Brinkley, Arkansas. Over the past many years, Brinkley and Prairie County have experienced an out migration and have struggled to revive their communities’ economy,” said Executive Director Rodney Larsen. “This Brownfields grant will serve as that special project of renewal for the City and as the spark for an optimistic future of positive redevelopment and renewal for the community.” 

West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, Inc. (WCAPDD) received a $500,000 Community Wide Assessment grant. WCAPDD will target two priority sites in Hot Springs: the Old St. Joseph Hospital and the former Velda Rose Hotel. The city will work with the current property owner and local developers to pursue reusing the sites as residential condominiums/affordable housing, and/or multi-use residential property. This will fill a desperate need for new affordable housing in the area.

 

Westminster Village of the Mid-South received a $1,000,000 cleanup grant for Westminster Village Retirement Community, which provides affordable housing for elderly residents in Blytheville.  The community is comprised of housing and storage structures associated with the former Eaker Air Force Base. The grant will be used to clean up and renovate additional spaces to get them ready for new resident housing.

 

“The cleanup at Westminster Village will not only tear down many buildings that have been an eyesore for our residents but will allow us to save buildings that might otherwise fall to complete disrepair. It will serve all in the community, especially our retired community that have chosen Westminster Village as their final home for the final chapters of their lives,” said Executive Director Tammy Swanson. “We express tremendous gratitude for those who have made this grant possible. It is a prayer answered. 

 

These investments are part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to grow the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to driving over $470 billion in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, to building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.

 

Thanks to the historic $1.5 billion boost from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA’s Brownfields Program is helping more communities than ever before begin to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by brownfields and stimulate economic opportunity, and environmental revitalization in historically overburdened communities.

EPA’s Brownfields Program also advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative to direct 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments to disadvantaged communities. The Brownfields Program strives to meet this commitment and advance environmental justice and equity considerations into all aspects of its work. Approximately 84 percent of the MARC program applications selected to receive funding proposed to work in areas that include historically underserved communities.

For more information about Brownfields Technical Assistance and Research, please visit our webpage.

 

Additional Background

 

EPA selected these organizations to receive funding to address and support the reuse of brownfield sites. EPA anticipates making all the awards announced today once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.

 

EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.37 billion in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. EPA’s investments in addressing brownfield sites have leveraged more than $36 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding has leveraged, from both public and private sources, nearly 260,000 jobs. Communities that previously received Brownfields Grants used these resources to fund assessments and cleanups of brownfields, and successfully leverage an average of 10.6 jobs per $100,000 of EPA Brownfield Grant funds spent and $19.78 for every dollar.

 

The next National Brownfields Training Conference will be held on August 8-11, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. This conference is the largest gathering of stakeholders focused on cleaning up and reusing former commercial and industrial properties. EPA co-sponsors this event with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). For more on Brownfields Grants, please see here and for more on the Brownfields Program please visit our webpage.

 

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

EPA Protects Big Island Water Resources, Orders Extra Space Storage to Pay $130K Penalty

 USEPA News Release:

EPA Protects Big Island Water Resources, Orders Extra Space Storage to Pay $130K Penalty

HONOLULU – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with Extra Space Management, Inc. and Kaloko Storage 18 LLC, the respective operator and owner of an Extra Space Storage facility on the island of Hawaii. The Extra Space Storage facility has been operating an illegal large capacity cesspool (LCC) at the property. Under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA banned LCCs in 2005.

“Illegal large capacity cesspools pose major threats to groundwater and precious coastal resources across Hawai‘i,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “EPA is committed to using our enforcement authority to ensure that all such unlawful cesspools are permanently closed to protect the public health of residents and their vital water resources.”

EPA is authorized to issue compliance orders and/or assess penalties to violators of the Safe Drinking Water Act’s underground injection control regulations. EPA inspected the Extra Space Storage facility in July 2021 and sent an information request in September of that year about the method of wastewater disposal at the property. The agency confirmed there was one LCC in operation at the site. As a result, the LCC was backfilled in December 2022 and Extra Space Management Inc. and Kaloko Storage 18 LLC agreed to pay a $130,000 penalty.

Cesspools collect and release untreated raw sewage into the ground, where disease-causing pathogens and harmful chemicals can contaminate groundwater, streams, and the ocean.

Since the 2005 federal ban, more than 3,750 large capacity cesspools in Hawaii have been closed; however, hundreds remain in operation. Cesspools are used more widely in Hawaii than any other state and pose a unique challenge as groundwater provides 95 percent of all water supply for the islands.

To encourage regulated entities to voluntarily discover, promptly disclose, and expeditiously close these pollution-causing systems, EPA provides penalty mitigation and other incentives for companies that proactively find and close LCCs on their property. Information on how to self-disclose potential large-capacity cesspool violations is available here. 

You can view the public notice of this settlement here.

Learn more about the federal ban and definition of a large-capacity cesspool.

Learn more about cesspools in Hawaii.

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

 EPA Press Office:

EPA selects LEAP Enterprise, Inc. for $500,000 in funding to advance environmental assessments in Puerto Rico

Brownfields grant to fund assessments and advance environmental justice in San Juan, Carolina, Juncos and Humacao

San Juan, PR (June 7, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that LEAP Social Enterprise, Inc. will receive a $500,000 Brownfields Assessment grant to conduct environmental assessments and develop approximately eight cleanup plans at high-priority properties in Puerto Rico. The target areas for this grant are Río Piedras, Carolina and the PR-198 Corridor between Juncos and Humacao. Among the priority sites there are schools that closed and not in used.

“EPA is investing in America through its Brownfields program. The program lifts the financial burden of communities cleaning up contaminated sites, especially underserved and overburdened communities,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “This funding will pave the way for cleaning up sites, to bring back their economic potential—including former schools—and redeveloping them for the benefit of Puerto Rican communities. An initial investment in Brownfields is a real investment in children, families, neighbors, and communities, and we at EPA are happy to support that investment here in Puerto Rico.

“During the rapid industrialization of Puerto Rico in the past century, many communities have been impacted by pollution creating a challenge to long term health and safety, and also to their ability to redevelop and give new uses to the sites particularly in the Metropolitan Area and in the Southeastern Puerto Rico. The EPA funding through the MARC brownfields grants is a valuable tool to address these situations and enable long term recovery. The additional availability of this funding through bipartisan legislation in Congress will help extend this program to even more communities,” said Rep. Jenniffer González Colón. 

On the other hand, Dr. Gloria Bonilla, director of LEAP Enterprise, added that “the acquisition of this aid will allow us to clean the school Gerardo Sellés Solá and the areas that are nearby. This way we can begin to move forward with the construction of what will become the LEAP STEAM + E Resilience Community.” According to Bonilla, the center will count with health and welfare services, development of environmental sustainability and the creation of business leaders. “We have announced that this center is part of the expansion of the LEAP project in Puerto Rico and that our vision is to turn it into a link to economic growth for all the communities near us in San Juan and its neighboring municipalities. We are so thankful for the help that we have received for the development of these projects that have a direct impact in the entire community, “expressed Bonilla.

The funds announced today are part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to expedite the assessment and cleanup of brownfields sites while advancing environmental justice through the Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant programs. In May, EPA announced the largest ever funding awarded in the history of the EPA Brownfields MARC Grant programs, thanks to the historic boost from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Background  

Many communities that are under economic stress, particularly those located in areas that have experienced long periods of disinvestment, lack the resources needed to initiate brownfield assessment, cleanup and redevelopment projects. As brownfield sites are transformed into community assets, they attract jobs, promote economic revitalization, and transform communities into sustainable and environmentally just places.

Thanks to the historic $1.5 billion investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA’s Brownfields Program is helping more communities than ever begin to address the economic, social and environmental challenges caused by brownfields and stimulate economic opportunity and environmental revitalization in historically overburdened communities.  

EPA’s Brownfields Program also advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative to direct 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities. Approximately 84% of the MARC program applications selected to receive funding proposed to work in areas that include historically underserved communities. 

EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.37 billion in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. EPA’s investments in addressing brownfield sites have leveraged more than $36 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Communities that previously received Brownfields Grants used these resources to fund assessments and cleanups of brownfields, and successfully leverage an average of 10.6 jobs per $100,000 of grant funds spent and $19.78 for every dollar. 

More on Brownfields Grants.   

More on EPA’s Brownfields Program.  

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

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La EPA selecciona a LEAP Enterprise, Inc. para $500,000 en fondos destinados a avanzar en evaluaciones ambientales en Puerto Rico
Subvención de brownfields para financiar evaluaciones y promover la justicia ambiental en San Juan, Carolina, Juncos y Humacao

Contactos:

Brenda Reyes, 202-834-1290, reyes.brenda@epa.gov

Liliana Alemán-Román, 787-977-5816, alemanroman.lilliana@epa.gov

San Juan, PR (7 de junio de 2023) – La Agencia de Protección Ambiental de Estados Unidos (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés) anunció hoy que LEAP Social Enterprise, Inc. recibirá una subvención de $500,000 del Programa Brownfields con el fin de realizar evaluaciones ambientales y desarrollar aproximadamente ocho planes de remediación en propiedades de alta prioridad en Puerto Rico. Las áreas objetivo para esta subvención son Río Piedras, Carolina y el corredor PR-198 entre Juncos y Humacao. Los sitios prioritarios incluyen entre ellos escuelas antiguas.

“La EPA está invirtiendo en Estados Unidos a través de su programa de Brownfields. El programa alivia la carga financiera de las comunidades que restauran lugares previamente contaminados, especialmente las comunidades desatendidas y marginadas”, señaló la administradora regional de la EPA, Lisa F. García. “Este financiamiento allanará el camino para restaurar estos lugares, recuperar su potencial económico - incluyendo las antiguas escuelas - y reconstruirlos en beneficio de las comunidades en Puerto Rico. Una inversión inicial en Brownfields es una inversión real en niños, familias, vecinos y comunidades, y nosotros en la EPA estamos felices de apoyar esa inversión,” amplió García.

“Durante la rápida industrialización de Puerto Rico en el siglo pasado, muchas comunidades han sido afectadas por la contaminación creando un reto para la salud y la seguridad a largo plazo, y también para su capacidad de reurbanizar y dar nuevos usos a los sitios particularmente en el Área Metropolitana y en el Sureste de Puerto Rico. El financiamiento de la EPA a través de las subvenciones MARC brownfields es una herramienta valiosa para abordar estas situaciones y permitir la recuperación a largo plazo. La disponibilidad adicional de estos fondos a través de una legislación bipartidista en el Congreso ayudará a extender este programa a más comunidades”, dijo la representante Jenniffer González Colón. 

Por su parte, la doctora Gloria Bonilla, directora del programa LEAP Enterprise, añadió que “la obtención de esta ayuda nos permitirá realizar las labores de limpieza de la Escuela Gerardo Sellés Solá y sus áreas cercanas y comenzar así a dar pasos de avanzada para la construcción de lo que será el Centro Comunitario de Resiliencia LEAP STEAM + E.”  Según Bonilla, el centro contará con servicios de salud y bienestar, desarrollo de sostenibilidad ambiental y fabricación de líderes empresariales. “Hemos anunciado anteriormente que este centro es parte de la expansión del proyecto LEAP en Puerto Rico y que nuestra visión es convertirlo en un nexo de desarrollo económico para todas las comunidades de áreas cercanas, del Municipio de San Juan y de pueblos limítrofes. Nos sentimos muy agradecidos por la ayuda brindada para el desarrollo de estos proyectos que tienen un impacto directo en toda la comunidad", expresó Bonilla.

Los fondos anunciados hoy forman parte de la Agenda del presidente Biden “Investing in America” para acelerar la evaluación y limpieza de terrenos industriales abandonados promoviendo a la vez la justicia ambiental a través de los programas de subvenciones multipropósito, evaluación, fondo de préstamos rotativos y limpieza (MARC). En mayo, la EPA anunció el mayor financiamiento otorgado en la historia de los programas de subvenciones MARC de Brownfields de la EPA, gracias al impulso histórico de la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura.

Antecedentes

Muchas comunidades que están en desventaja económica, particularmente aquéllas ubicadas en áreas que han experimentado largos periodos de falta de inversión, carecen de los recursos necesarios para iniciar proyectos de evaluación, limpieza y reurbanización de terrenos abandonados. A medida que los terrenos industriales abandonados se transforman en activos comunitarios, atraen empleos, promueven la revitalización económica y transforman a las comunidades cercanas en lugares sostenibles y ambientalmente justos.

Gracias a la inversión histórica de $1,500 millones de la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura (BIL, por sus siglas en inglés) del presidente Biden, el Programa de Brownfields de la EPA ayuda a más comunidades a comenzar a abordar los desafíos económicos, sociales y ambientales causados por los “brownfields” y a estimular las oportunidades económicas y la revitalización ambiental en comunidades históricamente sobrecargadas.

El Programa de Brownfields de la EPA también promueve la iniciativa Justice40 del presidente Biden cuyo propósito es destinar el 40% de los beneficios generales de ciertas inversiones federales a las comunidades desventajadas. Aproximadamente el 84% de las solicitudes del programa MARC que fueron seleccionadas para recibir fondos se proponen a trabajar en áreas que incluyen comunidades históricamente desatendidas.

El Programa de Brownfields de la EPA comenzó en 1995 y ha proporcionado casi $2,370 millones en subvenciones para evaluar y limpiar propiedades contaminadas y devolver las propiedades deterioradas a la reutilización productiva. Las inversiones de la EPA para atender los terrenos industriales abandonados han aprovechado más de $36 mil millones en limpieza y reurbanización. Las comunidades que anteriormente recibieron subvenciones de Brownfields utilizaron estos recursos para financiar evaluaciones y limpiezas de estos, y aprovecharon con éxito un promedio de 10.6 empleos por cada $100,000 de fondos de subvención gastados y $19.78 por cada dólar.

Más sobre las subvenciones de Brownfields.   

Más sobre el Programa de Brownfields de la EPA.  

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

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For further information: Contacts: Brenda Reyes, 202-834-1290, reyes.brenda@epa.gov Liliana Aleman-Roman, 787-977-5816, alemanroman.lilliana@epa.gov

 EPA Press Office:

EPA and Congressional officials encourage grant applications for zero emission school buses

Community Bulletin

On June 14, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Representative Brittany Pettersen and Representative Joe Neguse will host a virtual information session about regional grant opportunities through the EPA Clean School Bus Program. 

The EPA is accepting applications for this annual competitive grant program through August 22. The Clean School Bus Program encourages public school districts, Tribal applicants and other interested parties to apply for funds for zero emission and clean school buses. This year, the EPA anticipates awarding about $400 million in grants nationally, with $27,740,200 allocated for Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.  

Interested applicants can register for the webinar via Zoom.  

Who:   

• KC Becker, EPA Regional Administrator  

• U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen, Colorado 

• U.S. Representative Joe Neguse, Colorado 

• EPA Air Division staff  

What: 

This webinar is open to anyone across the country but will focus on EPA’s Region 8 states: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. Elected officials will highlight the benefits of transitioning to clean buses. EPA Clean School Bus Program staff will discuss details of the 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity, including eligible applicants, prioritization criteria and how to apply. 

When: 

Wednesday, June 14, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. MST 

Where:  

This virtual webinar will be held via Zoom. Please pre-register for the webinar.  

 

For further information: Marisa Lubeck, lubeck.marisa@epa.gov

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Announces $500,000 of Brownfields Funding to Revitalize Sites in Brooke and Hancock County, West Virginia

PHILADELPHIA (June 5, 2023) – Communities in Brooke and Hancock County, West Virginia will benefit from a $500,000 Brownfields assessment grant to the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle (BDC).  The grant funds will be used to assess former industrial properties for redevelopment and revitalization projects. EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz joined a contingent of public and business officials today for a ribbon-cutting at the new Pure Watercraft electric pontoon boat production facility at the Beech Bottom Industrial Park in Beech Bottom, West Virginia, where Brownfields funding was used as a catalyst for leveraged funds. Working with the BDC, EPA Brownfields funding was essential in remediating the site into what is now the Beech Bottom Industrial Park.  The new facility will employ 100 workers which will contribute to the revitalization of the area. “I’ve been to West Virginia more than a dozen times in the past two years and have seen firsthand how Brownfields funding is cleaning the land, changing lives, and helping to jump-start local economies here,” said Ortiz. “West Virginia has contributed so much to the foundation of this country. This area deserves an economic resurgence, and projects like this can help build that momentum. With your great location on the Ohio River and easy access to larger metropolitan areas, I believe Brooke and Hancock County are creating the foundation for considerable opportunities ahead. The Biden Administration is making a huge investment in revitalizing communities like these in the northern panhandle. With the talent, commitment and personal pride of the people here on the ground, this partnership will continue to make communities cleaner, healthier, and stronger and more economically competitive, and more people are going to discover West Virginia is a great place to live. This is an exciting day.” Since 1997, EPA has awarded more than $48 million through 114 Brownfields grants in 43 West Virginia communities. To date, this funding has leveraged an additional $1.7 billion in public and private investment, returning 1,798 acres to readiness for reuse, and creating more than 5,400 new jobs. For further information on the grants, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields website at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields.

 

For further information: r3press@epa.gov

 EPA Press Office:

EPA releases proposed cleanup plan for Columbia Falls Aluminum Company Superfund site in Montana

Proposal advances cleanup of the site and allows for robust public engagement

Contact Information

Richard Mylott (mylott.richard@epa.gov)

720-237-8119

Columbia Falls, Mont. (June 2, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a proposed cleanup plan detailing its preferred cleanup option for the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company (CFAC) Superfund site in Flathead County, Montana.  

The proposed cleanup plan provides an overview of the site, the alternatives evaluated during a feasibility study completed for the site in 2021 and details of the preferred alternative. This announcement coincides with the start of a 60-day comment period from June 1-July 31 during which EPA will solicit public comments on the proposed plan.  

The CFAC site is located two miles northeast of Columbia Falls on the Flathead River and was once home to an aluminum reduction facility. The primary contaminants of concern are fluoride, cyanide and various metals. EPA’s proposed plan presents the actions needed to protect human health and the environment from contaminants present in landfills, surface water and groundwater at the site.  

A public meeting will be held on June 28 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Columbia Falls Town Hall, City Council Chambers, 130 6th Street West, Columbia Falls, to describe the proposed plan and solicit comments before a Record of Decision Amendment is released later this year. Other in-person outreach opportunities will also be provided during the comment period by EPA staff and technical advisors with the Technical Assistance Services for Communities program. These opportunities will include public meetings on June 21 and July 12 at the Columbia Falls Town Hall, City Council Chambers, at noon and 6:30 p.m. on both days. 

Both written and oral comments will be accepted at the public meeting on June 28. Written comments can also be sent by email to Missy Haniewicz at haniewicz.melissa.m@epa.gov or by standard mail to Missy Haniewicz, U.S. EPA, 1595 Wynkoop Street, Denver, Colorado, 80202.  

EPA will review and consider all comments and will either move forward with the preferred alternative, modify it or select another alternative. Comments will be addressed in a Responsiveness Summary in the final Record of Decision for the site. 

The proposed plan, associated documents and information on how to submit comments can be found at the Columbia Falls Superfund site webpage.  

 EPA News Release:

Greenwich, Connecticut High School Student Wins EPA’s Patrick H. Hurd Sustainability Award at International Science and Engineering Fair for Research Project that Tackles Environmental Issues

WASHINGTON (June 2, 2023)  - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Naomi Park, an eleventh grader at Greenwich High School in Greenwich, Connecticut, as the winner of EPA’s 2023 Patrick H. Hurd Award at the 2023 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Dallas, Texas. Naomi’s project, “Concurrent Removal of Rising, Soluble Ocean Carbon Dioxide and Oil-in-Water Contaminants via Multi-Functional Remediation Framework,” tackles three environmental issues: styrofoam waste, water quality, and soluble oil remediation.

"Congratulations to Naomi and to the over 1,600 finalists at the International Science and Engineering Fair,” said Chris Frey, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Research and Development. “The creativity, innovation, intelligence, and drive that the students display is truly inspiring. I hope these students will keep using their STEM talents to tackle environmental issues and unlock scientific and engineering solutions that benefit all.”

Naomi recognized that current methods for oil spill remediation are typically chemical processes with adverse effects or mechanical solutions that primarily tackle oil on the waters’ surface. Naomi read about a class of nanoporous materials—hyper cross-linked polymers (HCPs)—that have the properties to bind with nonpolar pollutants like oil and carbon dioxide and can be synthesized using styrofoam. She sought to identify a process in which the properties of cross-linked polymers could be used to remediate soluble oil and carbon dioxide from oil spill events or in ocean acidification hotspots that have been the most negatively affected by an increase in CO₂ emissions. After synthesizing the HCPs using styrofoam, Naomi constructed a multi-functional remediation framework that has a melamine foam base onto which her synthesized hyper cross-linked polymers were applied for pollutant capture and removal.

Honorable mention went to Abhinav (Abhi) Avvaru, an eleventh grader at Nashua High School South in Nashua, NH for his project, “An Economical and High-Precision Approach for Nitrate Detection and Filtration to Ensure Quality Drinking Water”. After learning about the prevalence of nitrates in drinking water and the cost for individuals to test their well water, Abhi sought to identify an affordable solution. He designed and constructed an inexpensive sensor that demonstrated high accuracy and a working model of a drinking water filter using Activated Carbon and treated with polyaniline and multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

Naomi and Abhi were finalists in at Regeneron ISEF, the world’s largest international pre-college STEM research competition. Owned and produced by the Society for Science, Regeneron ISEF provides a platform for the best and brightest young scientists to showcase their science, technology, engineering, or math research.

Since 2009, EPA has participated in ISEF, recognizing projects that demonstrate a commitment to environmental sustainability and stewardship. The EPA Patrick H. Hurd Sustainability Award provides for the student to travel to attend and participate in the EPA’s National Sustainability Design Expo which is held in the following year. The Expo features the university and college student teams of our P3: People, Prosperity and the Planet program which also encourages innovative designs applying Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to address an environmental challenge.

• Visit Patrick H. Hurd Sustainability Award for more information about EPA’s participation in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair and to see past winners.
• Visit International Science and Engineering Fair for more information about the event.

Check out EPA’s People, Prosperity, and the Planet Student Design Competition for more details about the program.