EPA Press Office:

Biden-Harris Administration announces nearly $83 million in funding to expand air quality monitoring across the nation as part of Investing in America agenda

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

DENVER – On Feb. 16, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the availability of $81 million in funding for eligible air agencies to expand and upgrade the nation’s air quality monitoring networks as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The investment, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, will enhance and extend air monitoring in and near communities. The funding will support the work of eligible state, local, Tribal and territorial air agencies in addressing air pollution, including monitoring near fenceline communities, developing and refining air toxics monitoring methods, and ensuring cleaner air for all.

In addition, EPA is also making approximately $2 million in funding available to support state, local, territorial, and Tribal agencies in the deployment and operation of air quality sensors in low-income and disadvantaged communities across the United States. This historic amount of funding for air quality sensors and air monitoring delivers on President Biden's Justice40 Initiative by helping to detect air pollution in communities that often bear the unequal health burden of legacy pollution, and better monitor and track pollution. Together, these investments will provide critical resources to ensure the sustainability of national air quality monitoring networks, helping protect human health and the environment and ensuring Americans are breathing cleaner air.

“Reliable ambient air quality monitoring is a critical component of protecting human health and the environment from the harmful effects of air pollution,” said Joseph Goffman, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “With these investments in America, EPA is making good on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to making sure state, local, Tribal and territorial air agencies have the tools they need to implement effective pollution reduction strategies.”

State, local, Tribal and territorial agencies have primary responsibility for operating and maintaining ambient air monitoring sites, including monitors that measure ground-level ozone, particle pollution, and air toxics. They are also responsible for mitigating, regulating, and enforcing regulations on sources of air emissions. Additionally, air agencies are typically the primary points of contact for people and organizations with questions and concerns regarding air quality monitoring.

EPA encourages eligible entities to apply for funding as soon as possible and no later than April 8, 2024. Details about the application process are available on EPA’s Air Quality and Air Quality Sensors Grants website.

Background

The funding EPA announced today is one piece of the overall Inflation Reduction Act approach to improving air monitoring across the country. This strategy to deliver cleaner air also includes the American Rescue Plan’s Enhanced Air Monitoring for Communities grant competition, supplemented with Inflation Reduction Act funding, that EPA administered to help expand, improve, and modernize monitoring in more than 37 states. Combined with the diligent state, local, Tribal and territorial efforts and those of national air monitoring networks and community operated monitors, these funding streams will strengthen current air monitoring, deliver better data, and improve health outcomes across the nation.

Together, these programs are delivering on President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

Find out more by visiting EPA’s Air Grants and Funding webpage.  

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Air Permit Advances New York Offshore Wind Farm Project

Contact: Elias Rodriguez, 212-637-3664, rodriguez.elias@epa.gov

NEW YORK (February 15, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Clean Air Act permit for Empire Offshore Wind LLC. The offshore wind farm will be in federal waters on the Outer Continental Shelf about 12 nautical miles (13.8 miles) south of Long Island, NY and 17 nautical miles (19.6 miles) east of Long Branch, NJ. To ensure transparency, EPA sought and received public comment before the permit was finalized. 

"EPA is happy to partner with New York state in leading the way to a clean energy future. When built, this project is expected to generate more than 2,000 megawatts of electrical power for New York State – enough to power as many as a million homes,” said Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “This project is part of a larger effort by the Biden Administration to invest in America and generate 30 gigawatts of clean, abundant energy from offshore wind by 2030." 

The Empire Wind project for which EPA has issued a permit, will include up to 147 offshore wind turbines, two offshore substations, and the associated cables needed to transport the electricity. There will also be onshore components associated with the Empire Wind project that are not addressed in the air permit being issued today. Onshore components are being addressed in separate federal, state, and local permitting or government processes. Offshore construction is anticipated to begin in 2024 and be completed within four years.

Before issuing a permit, EPA conducted an air quality analysis that showed the main air quality impacts of the project will occur during construction and will be offshore over the water area around the project. The air quality analysis also showed that the impacts on air quality from the construction and operation of the project will not cause or contribute to a violation of federal air quality standards. EPA's approval is in concert with other federal approvals and actions for the project, including the issuance of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's Record of Decision.

An electronic copy of the permit, fact sheet, and supporting materials will be available on EPA's website at Clean Air Act Permits Issues By EPA Region 2. 

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

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 EPA Press Office:

EPA Reaches Settlement with Greenidge Generation LLC on Actions to Address Compliance with Coal Ash Regulations

Settlement Advances EPA’s National Enforcement Priority of Protecting Communities from Coal Ash Contamination

WASHINGTON (Feb. 6, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement under the Agency’s Coal Ash (Coal Combustion Residuals) program with the Greenidge Generation LLC, an electrical generating plant in Dresden, New York. This settlement, the first under EPA’s National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives, commits Greenidge to address groundwater monitoring issues and to ensure the proper closure of a coal ash surface impoundment under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The company will also pay a fine of $105,000.

Produced primarily from the burning of coal in coal-fired power plants, coal ash, also referred to as Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR), is a large industrial waste stream by volume and can contain harmful levels of contaminants such as mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and cobalt. Prior to 2015, the management and disposal of coal ash was not regulated at the national level; instead, it was regulated to varying degrees, if at all, by some states under various programs.  Historic disposal occurred through placement in unlined surface impoundments and landfills.  Without proper containment and management, contaminants from coal ash can pollute waterways, groundwater, drinking water, and the air.

“Coal ash contamination wreaks havoc on the environment and drinking water systems, particularly in overburdened communities,” said David M. Uhlmann, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “EPA is committed to ensuring that coal ash surface impoundments and landfills operate and close in a manner that protects public health and the environment. This settlement is an important step forward in the federal government’s nationwide effort to ensure coal burning plants clean up the harmful effects of the toxic waste they produce.”

“EPA is working to ensure that companies comply with environmental regulations designed to protect public health, our lands and water resources,” said EPA Region 2 Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “This settlement requires Greenidge to cease using, and close, its surface impoundment and to monitor groundwater at the facility to protect surrounding communities and determine whether further steps are required.”

Greenidge burns natural gas to generate electricity for its bitcoin mining operation, and also provides energy to the state’s electricity grid.

EPA alleges that Greenidge did not meet certain requirements under the coal ash program, including:

• Failure to comply with certain groundwater monitoring system requirements.
• Failure to adequately prepare annual groundwater monitoring and corrective action reports.
• Failure to timely prepare initial closure and post closure plans for its coal ash impoundment.

The settlement requires Greenidge to assess groundwater contamination from the coal ash impoundment at its facility. Greenidge will conduct groundwater sampling and analysis, evaluate groundwater flow to determine if additional wells are needed, and update and implement a closure plan for the coal ash impoundment. Ultimately, if groundwater monitoring reveals contamination above the federal groundwater protection standards, Greenidge will be required by self-implementing regulation to design and implement a corrective action program to address the contamination.

To address the risks from disposal and discharge of coal ash, including leaking of contaminants into groundwater, blowing of contaminants into the air as dust, and the catastrophic failure of coal ash surface impoundments, in April 2015, EPA established national rules for coal ash management and disposal.  These rules establish a comprehensive set of requirements for the safe handling and disposal of coal ash from coal-fired power plants, which established technical requirements for coal ash landfills and surface impoundments.

EPA is increasing its efforts and working with its state partners to investigate compliance concerns at coal ash facilities around the nation to ensure compliance and protect the health of communities overburdened by pollution such as coal ash residuals.

For more information on coal ash and the Agency’s coal ash program activities, please visit EPA’s Coal Ash (CCR) website.

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

Arts and cultural strategies will support ongoing progress in treasured water bodies across New York and New Jersey

 EPA Press Office:

Arts and cultural strategies will support ongoing progress in treasured water bodies across New York and New Jersey

NEW YORK (February 1, 2024) - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox announced on Tuesday EPA’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence Program in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts. Assistant Administrator Fox made the announcement at Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Summit on Arts and Culture in our Communities, which was co-hosted by the White House and National Endowment for the Arts to recognize the profound impact that arts and culture play in shaping our lives, communities and nation.

By launching this program, EPA is investing in arts and culture to boost engagement, awareness and participation in critical water challenges ranging from aging infrastructure to climate impacts like flooding and storm surge to investment in safe drinking water. The Passaic River and Bronx/Harlem Rivers Urban Waters Federal Partnerships hosted within the New York-New Jersey Harbor and Estuary Program are jointly one of the six chosen locations to participate in this first-of-its-kind program.

“Across America, EPA is working hand-in-hand with local partners to ensure drinking water is safe, and to restore and maintain oceans, watersheds and their aquatic ecosystems. Incorporating arts and cultural strategies into our work can reveal new ideas, unlock opportunities, and help us find new and enduring solutions to pressing water challenges,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “Through this partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, local water leaders from the Puget Sound—to the San Juan Estuary—to the Delaware River watershed, will have new tools and resources to support water restoration and climate resilience.”

“EPA is proud to engage with our partners in developing innovative ways to link the arts and our precious waters,” said Lisa F. Garcia, Regional Administrator. “New Jersey and New York are centers for the arts of all kinds.  This exciting new effort will fuse multiple creative disciplines in highlighting our community’s relationship to our shared waters.”

Water is essential, yet the water challenges faced today are pervasive and mounting. Many communities suffer from poor water quality, too much or too little water, and aging water infrastructure that is in urgent need of replacement. Overburdened water systems are further stressed by climate change—unpredictable weather, sea level rise and flooding. These challenges require engagement at every level.

Water leaders are increasingly turning to artists and culture bearers to help bring visibility to water issues, create more inclusive planning processes, and leverage infrastructure investments to provide additional benefits to the communities they serve. EPA is establishing an Artist-in-Residence program to continue and expand these efforts in the water sector. In 2024, EPA will support artists and culture bearers in six long-standing National Estuary Program (NEP) and Urban Waters Federal Partnership locations that are doing critical work on water restoration and climate resilience.

“I believe that the integration of arts and culture can help to strengthen many aspects of our lives and communities, which is why I’m excited by the Environmental Protection Agency’s artist in residence program,” said Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. “This is an opportunity for EPA to deepen its community engagement while also expanding an understanding of how artists can contribute to multiple sectors.”

EPA’s Artist-in-Residence Initiative was developed in response to President Biden’s Executive Order on Arts and Humanities, designed to spur investment and alignment of arts and culture across the federal government, make art more accessible to people from underserved communities, elevate new voices through the arts and humanities, and expand opportunities for artists and scholars. 

EPA’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence program will focus on opportunities to advance the goals of the National Estuary Program and the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, long standing programs that have restored and protected treasured water bodies across America.

“The arts are an essential way for people to see and feel their waterways, and can help ensure that communities are engaged in decisions about their future” said Robert Pirani, Director of the New York – New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program. “We are thrilled to be working with EPA, NEA, and our local collaborators in the Bronx & Harlem and the Lower Passaic Urban Waters Federal Partnerships to make these pilot projects happen.”

Public and community engagement, outreach, and education are vital components of both the NEP and Urban Waters programs. Incorporating arts and cultural strategies into EPA’s place-based programs will support innovative approaches and create lasting impact.

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

 EPA Press Office:

EPA announces inaugural Artist-in-Residence Program in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts in New York and New Jersey

Arts and cultural strategies will support ongoing progress in treasured water bodies across New York and New Jersey

NEW YORK (February 1, 2024) - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox announced on Tuesday EPA’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence Program in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts. Assistant Administrator Fox made the announcement at Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Summit on Arts and Culture in our Communities, which was co-hosted by the White House and National Endowment for the Arts to recognize the profound impact that arts and culture play in shaping our lives, communities and nation.

By launching this program, EPA is investing in arts and culture to boost engagement, awareness and participation in critical water challenges ranging from aging infrastructure to climate impacts like flooding and storm surge to investment in safe drinking water. The Passaic River and Bronx/Harlem Rivers Urban Waters Federal Partnerships hosted within the New York-New Jersey Harbor and Estuary Program are jointly one of the six chosen locations to participate in this first-of-its-kind program.

“Across America, EPA is working hand-in-hand with local partners to ensure drinking water is safe, and to restore and maintain oceans, watersheds and their aquatic ecosystems. Incorporating arts and cultural strategies into our work can reveal new ideas, unlock opportunities, and help us find new and enduring solutions to pressing water challenges,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “Through this partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, local water leaders from the Puget Sound—to the San Juan Estuary—to the Delaware River watershed, will have new tools and resources to support water restoration and climate resilience.”

“EPA is proud to engage with our partners in developing innovative ways to link the arts and our precious waters,” said Lisa F. Garcia, Regional Administrator. “New Jersey and New York are centers for the arts of all kinds.  This exciting new effort will fuse multiple creative disciplines in highlighting our community’s relationship to our shared waters.”

Water is essential, yet the water challenges faced today are pervasive and mounting. Many communities suffer from poor water quality, too much or too little water, and aging water infrastructure that is in urgent need of replacement. Overburdened water systems are further stressed by climate change—unpredictable weather, sea level rise and flooding. These challenges require engagement at every level.

Water leaders are increasingly turning to artists and culture bearers to help bring visibility to water issues, create more inclusive planning processes, and leverage infrastructure investments to provide additional benefits to the communities they serve. EPA is establishing an Artist-in-Residence program to continue and expand these efforts in the water sector. In 2024, EPA will support artists and culture bearers in six long-standing National Estuary Program (NEP) and Urban Waters Federal Partnership locations that are doing critical work on water restoration and climate resilience.

“I believe that the integration of arts and culture can help to strengthen many aspects of our lives and communities, which is why I’m excited by the Environmental Protection Agency’s artist in residence program,” said Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. “This is an opportunity for EPA to deepen its community engagement while also expanding an understanding of how artists can contribute to multiple sectors.”

EPA’s Artist-in-Residence Initiative was developed in response to President Biden’s Executive Order on Arts and Humanities, designed to spur investment and alignment of arts and culture across the federal government, make art more accessible to people from underserved communities, elevate new voices through the arts and humanities, and expand opportunities for artists and scholars. 

EPA’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence program will focus on opportunities to advance the goals of the National Estuary Program and the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, long standing programs that have restored and protected treasured water bodies across America.

“The arts are an essential way for people to see and feel their waterways, and can help ensure that communities are engaged in decisions about their future” said Robert Pirani, Director of the New York – New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program. “We are thrilled to be working with EPA, NEA, and our local collaborators in the Bronx & Harlem and the Lower Passaic Urban Waters Federal Partnerships to make these pilot projects happen.”

Public and community engagement, outreach, and education are vital components of both the NEP and Urban Waters programs. Incorporating arts and cultural strategies into EPA’s place-based programs will support innovative approaches and create lasting impact.

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

 EPA Press Office:

City of Lynnwood pays $550,259 penalty for federal Clean Air Act violations

Seattle (January 31, 2024) - The United States Environmental Protection Agency announced today that the City of Lynnwood, Washington agreed to pay a penalty of $550,259 for violating the Clean Air Act at its wastewater treatment plant on 76^th Avenue West.

Performance test results conducted by the city showed that, starting in 2020, the city’s sewage sludge incinerator was intermittently exceeding emission limits for particulate matter, carbon monoxide and hydrogen chloride, a hazardous air pollutant. EPA found that Lynnwood failed to adhere to federal requirements for conducting the source tests.

“The City of Lynnwood’s decision to use incineration to manage its domestic sewage sludge came with the responsibility to adhere strictly to the rules designed to reduce air pollutants and protect people’s health,” said Ed Kowalski, Director of EPA’s Region 10 Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division. “The city failed to meet that responsibility, committing significant Clean Air Act violations and earning significant penalties.”

EPA also found that the city failed to meet requirements for operating the incinerator, such as the requirement to run the incinerator at the proper temperature or maintain a specific minimum pH. These failures reduced the effectiveness of pollution reduction devices.

EPA’s penalty order follows its 2023 compliance order directing Lynnwood to come into compliance with Clean Air Act requirements by no later than May 31, 2024.

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 EPA Press Office:

Duwamish River Selected for EPA inaugural Artist-in-Residence Program in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts

Arts and cultural strategies will support ongoing progress in treasured water bodies across America

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency’s Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox announced on Tuesday EPA’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence Program in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts. Assistant Administrator Fox made the announcement at Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Summit on Arts and Culture in our Communities, which was co-hosted by the White House and National Endowment for the Arts to recognize the profound impact that arts and culture play in shaping our lives, communities and nation. By launching this program, EPA is investing in arts and culture to boost engagement, awareness and participation in critical water challenges ranging from aging infrastructure to climate impacts like flooding and storm surge to investment in safe drinking water.

“Across America, EPA is working hand-in-hand with local partners to ensure drinking water is safe, and to restore and maintain oceans, watersheds and their aquatic ecosystems. Incorporating arts and cultural strategies into our work can reveal new ideas, unlock opportunities, and help us find new and enduring solutions to pressing water challenges,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “Through this partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, local water leaders from the Puget Sound—to the San Juan Estuary—to the Delaware River watershed, will have new tools and resources to support water restoration and climate resilience.”

Water is essential, yet the water challenges faced today are pervasive and mounting. Many communities suffer from poor water quality, too much or too little water, and aging water infrastructure that is in urgent need of replacement. Overburdened water systems are further stressed by climate change—unpredictable weather, sea level rise and flooding. These challenges require engagement at every level.  Water leaders are increasingly turning to artists and culture bearers to help bring visibility to water issues, create more inclusive planning processes and leverage infrastructure investments to provide additional benefits to the communities they serve.

EPA is establishing an Artist-in-Residence Program to continue and expand these efforts in the water sector. In 2024, EPA will support artists and culture bearers in six long-standing National Estuary and Urban Waters partnership locations that are doing critical work on water restoration and climate resilience.

“I believe that the integration of arts and culture can help to strengthen many aspects of our lives and communities, which is why I’m excited by the Environmental Protection Agency’s artist in residence program,” said Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. “This is an opportunity for EPA to deepen its community engagement while also expanding an understanding of how artists can contribute to multiple sectors.”

EPA’s Artist-in-Residence Initiative was developed in response to President Biden’s Executive Order on Arts and Humanities, designed to spur investment and alignment of arts and culture across the federal government, make art more accessible to people from underserved communities, elevate new voices through the arts and humanities, and expand opportunities for artists and scholars. 

EPA’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence Program will focus on opportunities to advance the goals of the National Estuary Program  and the Urban Waters Federal Partnership long standing programs that have restored and protected treasured water bodies across America.

The six locations that will participate in the program include:

• The Duwamish River in Seattle
• The Rio Grande in New Mexico
• The San Juan Bay Estuary in Puerto Rico
• The Passaic, Bronx and Harlem Rivers
• The Delaware River Watershed in the Greater Philadelphia Region
• The Mystic River Watershed in Boston

Public and community engagement, outreach and education are vital components of the NEP and Urban Waters programs. Incorporating arts and cultural strategies into EPA’s place-based programs will support innovative approaches and create lasting impact.

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