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 EPA News Release:

EPA Administrator Regan Announces Initial Actions to Protect Communities Following Puerto Rico Journey to Justice Tour

Actions reflect Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to building a better America and addressing environmental and health challenges in communities that are underserved and overburdened by pollution

WASHINGTON (November 4, 2022) - Following through on his commitment to delivering solutions to the people of Puerto Rico, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan announced today a series of initial actions that respond directly to the concerns he saw and heard during his Journey to Justice tour in Puerto Rico this summer. In addition, the Administrator highlighted ongoing agency efforts to address environmental and health challenges. During his visit to Puerto Rico, Administrator Regan heard firsthand from communities facing environmental justice concerns and pledged that EPA would take steps to address the disproportionate impacts of pollution in and around Salinas and Guayama, issues related to the San Juan Bay Estuary System, challenges with access to clean drinking water in rural communities like Caguas, and solid waste issues throughout the island, including in Arecibo.

“For too long, communities in Puerto Rico have suffered untold inequities – from challenges with access to clean drinking water to fragile infrastructure that cannot withstand the increase and intensity of storms brought on by climate change, as evidenced by Hurricane Fiona,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan.  “I saw many of these concerns firsthand while meeting with community leaders during my Journey to Justice tour this summer, and I committed to taking action. These initial actions are just the beginning of our work to deliver results for the people of Puerto Rico, and EPA will continue to protect the health and safety of communities that have been left behind for far too long.”

Hurricane Fiona Recovery Efforts

This fall, the number one priority is to ensure Puerto Rico continues to recover from the most recent hurricane. The impacts and aftermath of Hurricane Fiona illuminate the disparity and disproportionate impacts witnessed during Administrator Regan’s Journey to Justice Tour, as well as underscore the importance of furthering environmental justice for the residents of Puerto Rico.

EPA is currently supporting the disaster response efforts under three Mission Assignments. EPA has deployed personnel to the Joint Field Office (JFO) in San Juan, working directly with FEMA to provide support for the Puerto Rico government. Under a second Mission Assignment, EPA is participating in the Power System Stabilization Task Force, which includes FEMA, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Department of Energy, and the government of Puerto Rico.  In this capacity, EPA has helped conduct field assessments, which will inform USACE’s future repair work. Under a third Mission Assignment, EPA is charged with conducting damage assessments of landfills as a result of the hurricane.

Salinas, Guayama, and Arroyo

Community advocates in the area surrounding the AES Power Plant (AES-PR) facility in Guayama requested federal assistance for air monitoring and groundwater sampling. EPA will invest $100,000 to launch two critical pilot projects in collaboration with community leaders and the Puerto Rico government.

In response to community concerns about groundwater contamination stemming from coal combustion residuals (CCRs) from AES-PR, EPA will sample groundwater used as drinking water in areas in southern Puerto Rico where CCRs were historically placed. As a first step in response to the community’s request, EPA is actively gathering information on existing drinking water wells located near areas where CCRs have been placed in the past. EPA is also evaluating the parameters of a drinking water well sampling plan. EPA will work closely with the community and Puerto Rico entities such as the Puerto Rico Department of Health, the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA), and the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PR DNER) to further develop the project plan.

EPA experts from the regional EPA office and its headquarters in DC are ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements at the AES-PR facility by assessing the adequacy of the liner placed under a pile of CCR temporarily stored at AES-PR. The purpose of the liner is to stop the spread of metals and other contaminants from the CCR pile to groundwater, which is required by rules governing CCR. EPA is also reviewing the company’s plan to address elevated levels of metals found in groundwater.

EPA will also conduct a fine particle pollution (PM2.5) pilot project in the AES-PR fenceline communities. This project is currently under development with an expected start by the end of December 2022. Equipment is already in-house, and preparation to ensure scientific integrity of the project is also under development. EPA will deploy “Purple Air” sensors to help with a screening project for the purpose of locating a new air monitoring station. EPA Regional staff will soon meet with the community to determine where the air monitors will be located. 

In addition, EPA has issued notices of violation to AES-PR identifying potential violations under air and CCR laws or regulations, including the notice the Administrator announced during his July visit. EPA is in active discussions with the company on these notices and is continuing to assess overall compliance. Enforcement actions will be taken, as appropriate, based on EPA’s assessment to ensure the safety of the community and compliance with the law.

EPA has also taken decisive action to protect the Salinas community from emissions of ethylene oxide (EtO) from the Steri-Tech, Inc sterilizer facility. EPA notified the facility that it is in violation of current regulations to control EtO. Since then, the Steri-Tech facility installed new pollution control equipment. Under EPA’s supervision, the facility will conduct a performance test for this equipment, which is capable of reducing EtO from the facility sterilization chambers and aeration rooms by 99.9%. To better determine the levels of EtO emitted by the Steri-Tech facility, EPA monitored the air near the facility in August. EPA expects to get validated data from the air monitoring from the lab in November or December, and EPA scientists and engineers will be reviewing the results and presenting the results back to the community. EPA is continuing to discuss possible additional EtO control measures with Steri-Tech. Separately, EPA is working on more stringent regulations to reduce emissions of EtO from commercial sterilizer facilities across the country.

“This announcement is another great achievement for the communities and organizations that have spent years fighting to improve our health. We managed to get funds from EPA allocated to monitor the air in the communities of Guayama adjacent to the coal plant and to monitor the groundwater from the sites where AES's toxic wastes were buried. This is another step in the search for justice and we will continue to fight,” said Victor Alvarado from Comité Diálogo Ambiental.

Caguas and Other Communities with Small Community-Run Drinking Water Systems

During the recent Journey to Justice in Puerto Rico, community leaders responsible for managing and operating community drinking water systems requested support and technical assistance, including with disaster recovery efforts. At Administrator Regan’s direction, EPA Region 2 recently hired and trained a team to be dispatched to provide technical assistance to small community-run drinking water systems, known as Non-PRASA (Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority) systems.

Over the next few months, with funding for environmental justice work from the American Rescue Plan, the team will conduct a Capacity Assessment of Puerto Rico’s 240 Non-PRASA systems to understand the systems’ capacity and infrastructure needs. Based on the capacity assessment, EPA is providing technical assistance to the community to help them access federal funding and navigate regulatory requirements.

Guaynabo and Cataño

As a result of an EPA recommendation, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lodged a court settlement in mid-September with Total Energies Marketing Puerto Rico Corp., requiring the company to make about $1.3 million in improvements to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act at its petroleum storage facility in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, a move that will protect the people of Guaynabo, as well as nearby communities in Cataño. The settlement requires measures and actions to resolve serious problems and inadequate maintenance at the company’s petroleum storage facility in Guaynabo. The company will also pay a civil penalty of $500,000.

Toa Alta

Illegal and poorly run landfills have posed immediate risks to the people who live near them. One such landfill is the Toa Alta landfill. In early August 2022, EPA and the DOJ filed a stipulated order, with input from the community, that requires the Municipality of Toa Alta to immediately address serious issues at its landfill. This order included input from those in the community most impacted. It requires Toa Alta to stop receiving waste, cover exposed areas of the landfill and put plans into place to manage stormwater and contaminated liquid flowing from the landfill. As a result, the landfill has now ceased receiving residential waste.

Arecibo

In July, EPA officials were invited to visit Arecibo and discuss concerns about old landfills and the solid waste issues. As a follow up to this request, in October, EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia visited and met with the communities in Arecibo surrounding the Landfill. During that visit, EPA was joined by PR DNER and the Municipality of Arecibo. Nearby communities have been raising concerns that the landfill is not using daily cover and there are serious odor, noise and air and water quality pollution concerns. PR DNER and the Mayor of Arecibo agreed to work with EPA to respond to community concerns and close the landfill. The landfill is expected to close in 2027. On October 7, the landfill operator submitted a closure plan that DNER will review with EPA oversight and input.

San Juan Bay Estuary System

During the Administrator’s Journey to Justice tour, community leaders involved in work within the San Juan Bay Estuary System highlighted their needs to restore the estuary system and address the serious risks faced by people living near the San Juan Bay.

Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership will receive more than $4.5 million over five years for a management and restoration project focused on environmental justice communities.  Just recently, a $1.2 million research project on emerging contaminants was awarded to the University of Puerto Rico to be conducted at the San Juan Bay Estuary’s San Jose Lagoon. PR DNER included this research project as part of its Clean Water Act State Revolving Fund BIL funding. This research project will help to establish the framework for the development of an integrated platform to monitor and forecast Harmful Algal Blooms at San José Lagoon.

In response to the illegal sewage discharges at Suarez Canal within the San Juan Bay Estuary, EPA will work with the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership and the Illegal Discharge, Detection and Elimination (IDDE) Task Force.  This Task Force is a multi-sector group that identifies and addresses the discharge of used non-treated water and other sources of contamination in the estuary. The Task Force is a group of state and federal agencies, including EPA, along with representatives from eight municipalities on the estuary, in collaboration with community and academic representatives.

“During Administrator Regan's visit to Puerto Rico, he saw first-hand several of the environmental challenges with the San Juan Bay Estuary, drinking water systems in Caguas, and communities living near the AES facility in Guayama,” said Brenda Torres, Executive Director of the San Juan Bay Estuary Program. “The EPA actions announced today are concrete steps towards addressing those issues, and I want to thank the Administrator for putting a national spotlight on several of the most pressing environmental challenges our island faces.”

Island-wide

New Regional Environmental Justice Office

In September, Administrator Regan established a new national program office charged with advancing environmental justice and civil rights. The new Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights will dedicate more than 200 EPA staff in EPA headquarters and across 10 regions towards solving environmental challenges in underserved communities.

On the heels of that announcement, EPA Region 2 has established a regional environmental justice office in its regional headquarters. One of the members of this team will be based in the Caribbean Environmental Protection Division in Puerto Rico, working directly with the Office of the Regional Administrator, and will be dedicated to working with communities on the ground in Puerto Rico.   

Water Infrastructure

Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this year alone, Puerto Rico will receive approximately $78.4 million – with more to come over the next five years – for water infrastructure projects, such as replacing lead pipes, tackling emerging contaminants like PFAS, and building resilient drinking water and wastewater systems.

Solid Waste Management

While Puerto Rico’s efforts to close open dumps continue, EPA is assisting PR DNER on its work to develop an Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, which will help Municipalities, community leaders and environmental non-government organizations (NGOs) understand Puerto Rico’s plans and strategies to manage solid waste sustainably. In October, EPA and PR DNER convened meetings with representatives from the Puerto Rico Association and Federation of Mayors, community leaders and NGOs to engage in a dialogue about their perspective on solid waste and explore ways they can support PR DNER’s planning process.

For more information, about EPA’s efforts to advance environmental justice, visit https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice.

EPA Announces Cherokee Nation to Receive $69,770 for Air Monitoring Projects

 EPA News Release:

EPA Announces Cherokee Nation to Receive $69,770 for Air Monitoring Projects

Largest investment for community air monitoring in EPA history funded by President Biden’s Climate and Economic Plans

DALLAS, TEXAS (November 3rd, 2022) –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the Oklahoma agency Cherokee Nation will receive $69,770 from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan to enhance air quality monitoring in marginalized communities. The project is focused on communities that are underserved, historically marginalized, and overburdened by pollution, supporting President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative.

“I’ve traveled across the country and visited communities who’ve suffered from unhealthy, polluted air for far too long. I pledged to change that by prioritizing underserved communities and ensuring they have the resources they need to confront longstanding pollution challenges,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The air monitoring projects we are announcing today, which include the first EPA grants funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, will ensure dozens of overburdened communities have the tools they need to better understand air quality challenges in their neighborhoods and will help protect people from the dangers posed by air pollution.”

“EPA has prioritized cutting harmful pollution in communities and this announcement delivers on that promise,” said Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “We are pleased to award these grants to the state, local, tribal agencies and community-based groups to monitor air pollution in their areas. “This funding will allow for vulnerable communities to have better data on toxic pollutants and allows for development on community led strategies that achieve healthy air quality.”

The Cherokee Nation will receive $69,770 to perform monitoring with sensors in the vicinity of the Pryor air monitoring site. This action addresses a potential concern with elevated air pollution levels emitted from the nearby MidAmerica Industrial Park. The sensor data will be compared against existing monitors in operation, and then can be set up in any community as needed or used for outreach in local schools as part of STEM curricula.

The air pollution monitoring projects are made possible by more than $30 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds, which supplemented $20 million from the American Rescue Plan and enabled EPA to support 77 additional projects, more than twice the number of projects initially proposed by community-based nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, and Tribal governments. More than $4 million will be awarded to communities visited by EPA Administrator Michael Regan during his first Journey to Justice tour.

These grant selections further the goals of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative and Executive Order, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, which directed that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to overburdened communities that face disproportionately high and adverse health and environmental impacts.  By enhancing air monitoring and encouraging partnerships with communities, EPA is investing in efforts to better protect people’s health, particularly those in underserved communities.

The amount of the anticipated grant funding ranges from $57,000 to $500,000, which will enhance air monitoring in communities and establish important partnerships to address air quality concerns.  More than half of the selected applications are from community and nonprofit organizations. Tribes are receiving 12 percent of the total funding for this competition. EPA will start the process to award the funding by the end of 2022, once the grant applicants have met all legal and administrative requirements. The grantees will have three years to spend the funds from the time EPA awards the grants.

The announcement today delivers on Administrator Regan’s commitment to action following his ongoing Journey to Justice tour. Following the first leg of the tour through Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas in November 2021, EPA encouraged communities to apply for the grants. Today’s selectees include eight projects in communities from the tour, totaling nearly $4 million from this grant program. These awards to communities from Journey to Justice and additional awards to underserved and overburdened communities reflect the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to deliver environmental justice and the whole-of-government approach to addressing these issues in communities that are historically marginalized.

See the list of applications selected for award.  

Background

In spring 2021, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, providing EPA with a one-time supplemental appropriation of $100 million to address health outcome disparities from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic. Half of that $100 million, was dedicated to air quality monitoring. EPA Regions began awarding nearly $22.5 million from this appropriation in 2022 as direct awards to state, tribal, and local air agencies for continuous monitoring of fine particle and other common pollutants.  In addition, EPA Regions are in the process of procuring monitoring equipment using $5 million in American Rescue Plan funding to advance the EPA Regional Offices’ mobile air monitoring capacity and establish air sensor loan programs. These investments will improve EPA's ability to support communities that need short-term monitoring and air quality information. 

In July 2021, EPA announced the $20 million American Rescue Plan Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring for Communities Grant Competition. The goal of this competition was to improve air quality monitoring in and near underserved communities across the United States, support community efforts to monitor their own air quality, and promote air quality monitoring partnerships between communities and tribal, state, and local governments.  EPA received more than 200 applications in response to the competition.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provides funding to EPA to deploy, integrate, support, and maintain fenceline air monitoring, screening air monitoring, national air toxics trend stations, and other air toxics and community monitoring. Specifically, the Inflation Reduction Act provides funding for grants and other activities under section 103 and section 105 of the Clean Air Act. EPA is using approximately $32.3 million of this funding to select 77 high-scoring community monitoring applications.

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

EPA Announces New Mexico Groups to Receive $545,099 for Air Monitoring Projects

 EPA News Release:

EPA Announces New Mexico Groups to Receive $545,099 for Air Monitoring Projects

Largest investment for community air monitoring in EPA history funded by President Biden’s Climate and Economic Plans

DALLAS, TEXAS (November 3rd, 2022) –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the New Mexico Energy Department and the Pueblo de San Ildefonso will receive $545,099 from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan to enhance air quality monitoring in marginalized communities. The projects are focused on communities that are underserved, historically marginalized, and overburdened by pollution, supporting President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative.

“I’ve traveled across the country and visited communities who’ve suffered from unhealthy, polluted air for far too long. I pledged to change that by prioritizing underserved communities and ensuring they have the resources they need to confront longstanding pollution challenges,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The air monitoring projects we are announcing today, which include the first EPA grants funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, will ensure dozens of overburdened communities have the tools they need to better understand air quality challenges in their neighborhoods and will help protect people from the dangers posed by air pollution.”

“EPA has prioritized cutting harmful pollution in communities and this announcement delivers on that promise,” said Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “We are pleased to award these grants to the state, local, tribal agencies and community-based groups to monitor air pollution in their areas. “This funding will allow vulnerable communities to have better data on toxic pollutants and allows for development on community led strategies that achieve healthy air quality.”

“Thanks to historic investments secured by Democrats in the American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act, New Mexico is on a path to enjoying cleaner and healthier air. That means fewer children with asthma and fewer seniors with breathing conditions,” said U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich. “Securing this federal funding for the New Mexico Environment Department will further our understanding of harmful air pollutants, allowing us to create better strategies to mitigate the impacts on public health and improve air quality. I’m also pleased to see these laws support the establishment of air quality monitoring programs for Tribes like the Pueblo de San Ildefonso, so that they too can reap the benefits of cleaner air.”

“Harmful air and pollutants are an environmental injustice that affects millions of Americans every day,” said U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján. “I’m proud to welcome this funding that will establish air quality monitoring to sensor the smoke and dust quality throughout New Mexico and the San Ildefonso Pueblo. Air quality monitoring is essential in protecting our communities from harmful pollutants by minimizing future exposure and health risks.”

 

“I’m excited to learn that the New Mexico Environment Department and the Pueblo of San Ildefonso will be awarded key funding for projects to conduct air monitoring in our communities, reduce emissions, and safeguard the health of our communities,” said Representative Melanie Stansbury. “For far too long, Tribes, Pueblos, and historically underserved communities across our state have suffered the impacts of environmental pollution and poor air quality. I’m proud that the Inflation Reduction Act is supporting investments that will help us to protect our environment while decreasing pollution and protecting the health and wellbeing of our communities across New Mexico.”

“The Inflation Reduction Act and the American Rescue plan are working in New Mexico. I am pleased to see these grants awarded to the state’s Environment Department and San Ildefonso Pueblo,” said Representative Leger Fernández. “Better air quality monitoring and data give us the solutions to reduce harmful pollution. This is how we keep our communities healthy and create a more prosperous future para todos. We will be seeing more awards benefiting New Mexico directly to protect our natural resources.”

The New Mexico Energy Department received $59,633 to monitor several pollutants in the Carlsbad area and study health impacts. Data will be used to determine appropriate, effective strategies to reduce emissions.

The Pueblo de San Ildefonso will receive $485,466 to install air monitors to measure the levels of pollutants and to monitor smoke and dust concentrations near the Pueblo. The data from these monitors will help with developing strategies to minimize residents’ exposure to harmful pollutants.

The air pollution monitoring projects are made possible by more than $30 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds, which supplemented $20 million from the American Rescue Plan and enabled EPA to support 77 additional projects, more than twice the number of projects initially proposed by community-based nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, and Tribal governments. More than $4 million will be awarded to communities visited by EPA Administrator Michael Regan during his first Journey to Justice tour.

These grant selections further the goals of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative and Executive Order, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, which directed that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to overburdened communities that face disproportionately high and adverse health and environmental impacts.  By enhancing air monitoring and encouraging partnerships with communities, EPA is investing in efforts to better protect people’s health, particularly those in underserved communities.

The amount of the anticipated grant funding ranges from $57,000 to $500,000, which will enhance air monitoring in communities and establish important partnerships to address air quality concerns.  More than half of the selected applications are from community and nonprofit organizations. Tribes are receiving 12 percent of the total funding for this competition. EPA will start the process to award the funding by the end of 2022, once the grant applicants have met all legal and administrative requirements. The grantees will have three years to spend the funds from the time EPA awards the grants.

The announcement today delivers on Administrator Regan’s commitment to action following his ongoing Journey to Justice tour. Following the first leg of the tour through Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas in November 2021, EPA encouraged communities to apply for the grants. Today’s selectees include eight projects in communities from the tour, totaling nearly $4 million from this grant program. These awards to communities from Journey to Justice and additional awards to underserved and overburdened communities reflect the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to deliver environmental justice and the whole-of-government approach to addressing these issues in communities that are historically marginalized.

See the list of applications selected for award.  

Background

In spring 2021, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, providing EPA with a one-time supplemental appropriation of $100 million to address health outcome disparities from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic. Half of that $100 million, was dedicated to air quality monitoring. EPA Regions began awarding nearly $22.5 million from this appropriation in 2022 as direct awards to state, tribal, and local air agencies for continuous monitoring of fine particle and other common pollutants.  In addition, EPA Regions are in the process of procuring monitoring equipment using $5 million in American Rescue Plan funding to advance the EPA Regional Offices’ mobile air monitoring capacity and establish air sensor loan programs. These investments will improve EPA's ability to support communities that need short-term monitoring and air quality information. 

In July 2021, EPA announced the $20 million American Rescue Plan Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring for Communities Grant Competition. The goal of this competition was to improve air quality monitoring in and near underserved communities across the United States, support community efforts to monitor their own air quality, and promote air quality monitoring partnerships between communities and tribal, state, and local governments.  EPA received more than 200 applications in response to the competition.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provides funding to EPA to deploy, integrate, support, and maintain fenceline air monitoring, screening air monitoring, national air toxics trend stations, and other air toxics and community monitoring. Specifically, the Inflation Reduction Act provides funding for grants and other activities under section 103 and section 105 of the Clean Air Act. EPA is using approximately $32.3 million of this funding to select 77 high-scoring community monitoring applications.

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

EPA Announces Texas Organizations to Receive Over $3 Million for Air Monitoring Projects

 EPA News Release:

EPA Announces Texas Organizations to Receive Over $3 Million for Air Monitoring Projects

Largest investment for community air monitoring in EPA history funded by President Biden’s Climate and Economic Plans

DALLAS, TEXAS (November 3rd, 2022) –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that six Texas organizations will receive $3,050,010 from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan to enhance air quality monitoring in marginalized communities. The project is focused on communities that are underserved, historically marginalized, and overburdened by pollution, supporting President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative.

“I’ve traveled across the country and visited communities who’ve suffered from unhealthy, polluted air for far too long. I pledged to change that by prioritizing underserved communities and ensuring they have the resources they need to confront longstanding pollution challenges,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The air monitoring projects we are announcing today, which include the first EPA grants funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, will ensure dozens of overburdened communities have the tools they need to better understand air quality challenges in their neighborhoods and will help protect people from the dangers posed by air pollution.”

“EPA has prioritized cutting harmful pollution in communities and this announcement delivers on that promise,” said Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “We are pleased to award these grants to the state, local, tribal agencies and community-based groups to monitor air pollution in their areas. “This funding will allow vulnerable communities to have better data on toxic pollutants and allows for development on community led strategies that achieve healthy air quality.”

“I’m proud of the $500,000 in federal grant funds the EPA awarded to the City of Houston for their community air monitoring projects,” said Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. “This will help improve Houston’s local air quality and educate residents on the hazards of air pollutants. These funds are a direct result of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. I strongly supported both laws in Congress because I knew it would help communities like ours. I look forward to seeing the positive impact this grant will bring to Houston neighborhoods.”

“After years of inaction and inattention to this insidious problem, I am very pleased there is a much broader understanding of how communities of color are directly impacted by the harmful emissions that emanate from mobile and stationary sources. Today, the EPA announces its award of $6,100,021.58 in funding, the largest investment for community air monitoring in EPA history, to enhance air quality monitoring in marginalized communities,” said Congresswoman Sheila Jackson. “The City of Houston will receive $499,982 for community air monitoring while Achieving Community Tasks Successfully (ACTS) will receive $499,197 for an air monitoring campaign in some of the communities that I represent, specifically, Pleasantville, Sunnyside, Fifth Ward, and Galena Park. It is gratifying to see that the funding for which I advocated will be allocated in the form of grants to the City of Houston and organizations that are working in local communities. This funding will target the problem of air pollution in the neighborhoods that have been most affected by toxic emissions. The real-time monitoring of these airborne toxins will enable us to better understand the risks that they pose to human health, the specific neighborhoods which are most in jeopardy, and the steps that will be necessary to curtail harmful activities that impair the health and lives of Houstonians.”

“Every American deserves to breathe clean air free from pollutants and chemicals that harm children, families, and communities,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “The funds from the American Rescue Plan Act and Inflation Reduction Act Community Air Monitoring Grants will help the City of Houston monitor air quality issues more effectively, ensuring our community enjoys the cleanest air possible.  I was glad to authorize this funding to help reduce air pollution and public health risks.”

The city of Houston and Achieving Community Tasks Successfully (ACTS) will receive $499,982 and $499,197 respectively for community air monitoring in several Houston-area neighborhoods. The city of Houston will monitor for four hazardous air pollutants in the Meadowbrook/Allendale, Park Place and Pecan Park neighborhoods with community members working towards implementing education programs for residents. ACTS will receive $499,197 for an air monitoring campaign in the Pleasantville, Sunnyside, Fifth Ward and Galena Park areas. The campaign’s goal is improving community health by reducing exposure to pollutants, increasing surveillance and response from local and state governments, and implementing community-led efforts on disaster planning and contributing to new data for national risk assessments and rulemakings.

The Capital Area of Governments will receive $660,272 to establish two air monitoring projects in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown area. The projects will include operating seven air quality monitors and distributing 20 sensors in the area. The projected outcome will improve knowledge of how high-level pollutants occur, improve pollutant forecasting and expand community capacity for future monitoring activities.

The Centro Fronterizo del Obrero (dba) La Mujer Obrera organization will receive $500,000 to implement a mitigation plan to protect the health of residents in El Paso’s Barrio Chamizal. The air quality data will provide a baseline analysis across transportation emissions, environmental justice concerns, and known pollution sources.

The Lubbock Compact Foundation will receive $482,959 to install and operate 40 air monitors for the next three years in the northwestern area of Texas. Additionally, this project will also investigate potential causes for documented health disparities in target neighborhoods.

The Port Arthur Community Action Network will receive $407,600 to set air monitoring baselines in the Greater Port Arthur and Lake Charles area. The two objectives for this project will be to fix air pollutant sensors with a weather station attached and establish a mobile air monitoring system that provides a baseline survey.

The air pollution monitoring projects are made possible by more than $30 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds, which supplemented $20 million from the American Rescue Plan and enabled EPA to support 77 additional projects, more than twice the number of projects initially proposed by community-based nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, and Tribal governments. More than $4 million will be awarded to communities visited by EPA Administrator Michael Regan during his first Journey to Justice tour.

These grant selections further the goals of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative and Executive Order, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, which directed that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to overburdened communities that face disproportionately high and adverse health and environmental impacts.  By enhancing air monitoring and encouraging partnerships with communities, EPA is investing in efforts to better protect people’s health, particularly those in underserved communities.

The amount of the anticipated grant funding ranges from $57,000 to $500,000, which will enhance air monitoring in communities and establish important partnerships to address air quality concerns.  More than half of the selected applications are from community and nonprofit organizations. Tribes are receiving 12 percent of the total funding for this competition. EPA will start the process to award the funding by the end of 2022, once the grant applicants have met all legal and administrative requirements. The grantees will have three years to spend the funds from the time EPA awards the grants.

The announcement today delivers on Administrator Regan’s commitment to action following his ongoing Journey to Justice tour. Following the first leg of the tour through Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas in November 2021, EPA encouraged communities to apply for the grants. Today’s selectees include eight projects in communities from the tour, totaling nearly $4 million from this grant program. These awards to communities from Journey to Justice and additional awards to underserved and overburdened communities reflect the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to deliver environmental justice and the whole-of-government approach to addressing these issues in communities that are historically marginalized.

See the list of applications selected for award.  

Background

In spring 2021, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, providing EPA with a one-time supplemental appropriation of $100 million to address health outcome disparities from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic. Half of that $100 million, was dedicated to air quality monitoring. EPA Regions began awarding nearly $22.5 million from this appropriation in 2022 as direct awards to state, tribal, and local air agencies for continuous monitoring of fine particle and other common pollutants.  In addition, EPA Regions are in the process of procuring monitoring equipment using $5 million in American Rescue Plan funding to advance the EPA Regional Offices’ mobile air monitoring capacity and establish air sensor loan programs. These investments will improve EPA's ability to support communities that need short-term monitoring and air quality information. 

In July 2021, EPA announced the $20 million American Rescue Plan Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring for Communities Grant Competition. The goal of this competition was to improve air quality monitoring in and near underserved communities across the United States, support community efforts to monitor their own air quality, and promote air quality monitoring partnerships between communities and tribal, state, and local governments.  EPA received more than 200 applications in response to the competition.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provides funding to EPA to deploy, integrate, support, and maintain fenceline air monitoring, screening air monitoring, national air toxics trend stations, and other air toxics and community monitoring. Specifically, the Inflation Reduction Act provides funding for grants and other activities under section 103 and section 105 of the Clean Air Act. EPA is using approximately $32.3 million of this funding to select 77 high-scoring community monitoring applications.

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

EPA Announces Louisiana to Receive Nearly $2.4 Million for Air Monitoring Projects

 EPA News Release:

EPA Announces Louisiana to Receive Nearly $2.4 Million for Air Monitoring Projects

Largest investment for community air monitoring in EPA history funded by President Biden’s Climate and Economic Plans

DALLAS, TEXAS (November 3rd, 2022) –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced four Louisiana organizations will receive $2,399,604 from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan to enhance air quality monitoring in marginalized communities. The organizations are the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), LSU Health Foundation, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice Inc and the Louisiana Environmental Action Network.  

“I’ve traveled across the country and visited communities who’ve suffered from unhealthy, polluted air for far too long. I pledged to change that by prioritizing underserved communities and ensuring they have the resources they need to confront longstanding pollution challenges,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The air monitoring projects we are announcing today, which include the first EPA grants funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, will ensure dozens of overburdened communities have the tools they need to better understand air quality challenges in their neighborhoods and will help protect people from the dangers posed by air pollution.”

“EPA has prioritized cutting harmful pollution in communities and this announcement delivers on that promise,” said Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “We are pleased to award these grants to the state, local, tribal agencies and community-based groups to monitor air pollution in their areas. “This funding will allow vulnerable communities to have better data on toxic pollutants and allows for development on community led strategies that achieve healthy air quality.”

“For far too long, environmental injustice and toxic pollution have devastated communities and entire families in Louisiana — particularly in the River Parishes,” said Congressman Troy Carter. “Today’s grant awards to increase air-quality monitoring will help arm communities and the federal government with the necessary information to improve health and safety in our communities once and for all. As a longtime advocate for independent air-quality monitoring, I am proud that Congress has allocated these funds and am grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration and EPA Administrator Regan for their unprecedented focus and attention to fighting for environmental justice. There is a lot more still to do to eliminate health outcome disparities across America, but this is an important step forward towards healthier, safer communities.”

LDEQ will receive $902,213 for use in the St. James Parish and Alexandria-Pineville areas. In the Alexandria-Pineville area, LDEQ will set up a station to monitor air pollution from two wood-treating facilities. In the St. James Parish area, a monitoring site will provide real-time data on certain pollutants and allow nearby communities access to this information.  

The LSU Health Foundation will receive $498,480 for a community-led air monitoring campaign. This campaign will encourage intergenerational learning and community engagement, preserve cultural history, enable informed decision-making, and foster strategic political collective action for New Orleans neighborhoods.

The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice Inc. will receive $498,911 to build the capacity of local environmental justice groups in the St. John the Baptist Parish area. This action will allow for the groups to monitor their air quality, engage with stakeholders and become more active and effective in civic engagement.

The Louisiana Environmental Action Network will receive $500,000 to assess air quality at the block level throughout South Louisiana’s industrial corridor along the Mississippi River, with a focus on expanding air quality literacy in historically underserved communities and identifying strategies to reduce exposure and emissions.

The air pollution monitoring projects are made possible by more than $30 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds, which supplemented $20 million from the American Rescue Plan and enabled EPA to support 77 additional projects, more than twice the number of projects initially proposed by community-based nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, and Tribal governments. More than $4 million will be awarded to communities visited by EPA Administrator Michael Regan during his first Journey to Justice tour.

These grant selections further the goals of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative and Executive Order, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, which directed that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to overburdened communities that face disproportionately high and adverse health and environmental impacts.  By enhancing air monitoring and encouraging partnerships with communities, EPA is investing in efforts to better protect people’s health, particularly those in underserved communities.

The amount of the anticipated grant funding ranges from $57,000 to $500,000, which will enhance air monitoring in communities and establish important partnerships to address air quality concerns.  More than half of the selected applications are from community and nonprofit organizations. Tribes are receiving 12 percent of the total funding for this competition. EPA will start the process to award the funding by the end of 2022, once the grant applicants have met all legal and administrative requirements. The grantees will have three years to spend the funds from the time EPA awards the grants.

The announcement today delivers on Administrator Regan’s commitment to action following his ongoing Journey to Justice tour. Following the first leg of the tour through Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas in November 2021, EPA encouraged communities to apply for the grants. Today’s selectees include eight projects in communities from the tour, totaling nearly $4 million from this grant program. These awards to communities from Journey to Justice and additional awards to underserved and overburdened communities reflect the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to deliver environmental justice and the whole-of-government approach to addressing these issues in communities that are historically marginalized.

See the list of applications selected for award.  

Background

In spring 2021, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, providing EPA with a one-time supplemental appropriation of $100 million to address health outcome disparities from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic. Half of that $100 million, was dedicated to air quality monitoring. EPA Regions began awarding nearly $22.5 million from this appropriation in 2022 as direct awards to state, tribal, and local air agencies for continuous monitoring of fine particle and other common pollutants.  In addition, EPA Regions are in the process of procuring monitoring equipment using $5 million in American Rescue Plan funding to advance the EPA Regional Offices’ mobile air monitoring capacity and establish air sensor loan programs. These investments will improve EPA's ability to support communities that need short-term monitoring and air quality information. 

In July 2021, EPA announced the $20 million American Rescue Plan Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring for Communities Grant Competition. The goal of this competition was to improve air quality monitoring in and near underserved communities across the United States, support community efforts to monitor their own air quality, and promote air quality monitoring partnerships between communities and tribal, state, and local governments.  EPA received more than 200 applications in response to the competition.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provides funding to EPA to deploy, integrate, support, and maintain fenceline air monitoring, screening air monitoring, national air toxics trend stations, and other air toxics and community monitoring. Specifically, the Inflation Reduction Act provides funding for grants and other activities under section 103 and section 105 of the Clean Air Act. EPA is using approximately $32.3 million of this funding to select 77 high-scoring community monitoring applications.

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 EPA Press Office:

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $3.4 Million for New York and Indian Nation Community Air Pollution Monitoring Projects

Largest investment for community air monitoring in EPA history funded by President Biden’s Climate and Economic Plans

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

NEW YORK (November 3, 2022) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected six New York applicants and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, to receive funding to conduct community air quality monitoring. The grants are seven of 132 air monitoring projects in 37 states that will receive $53.4 million from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan to enhance air quality monitoring in communities across the United States. The projects are focused on communities that are underserved, historically marginalized, and overburdened by pollution, supporting President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative.

In addition, EPA is announcing direct awards to state, local, and tribal governments for air monitoring under ARP totaling $22.5 million. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation received $590,000 to fund enhanced continuous monitoring of PM2.5 and replace aging monitoring equipment for five other air pollutants regulated by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards under the Clean Air Act.

"Clean air is a vital resource and a right all communities deserve. This $3.4 million investment will provide communities big and small throughout New York State with access to local air monitoring networks, which will raise community knowledge of air quality and its impacts," said Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. "The Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized direct community participation in information gathering to help reduce harmful air pollution, and today's announcement helps do just that."

“We need to ensure better air quality in our neighborhoods especially those with a mix of industrial areas and environmental justice communities like Red Hook, which has seen a spike in e-commerce facilities and truck congestion, in addition to the pollutants coming from the Gowanus Expressway and Hugh Carey Tunnel,” said Representative Nydia Velázquez. “Thanks to the funds coming from the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act, the Red Hook community and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will have the ability to better monitor air quality and help improve the health of our City’s neighborhoods.”

“Air pollution has a significant impact on health outcomes, especially in marginalized communities. This is particularly evident in Western New York given our community’s industrial past,” said Congressman Brian Higgins. “Thanks to funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and the American Rescue Plan, the University at Buffalo will be able to deploy low-cost technology to monitor air quality and develop ways to improve health and wellness among the most vulnerable members of our community. It is an investment that builds on progress that we have already made to reduce pollution and create a more sustainable future for all Western New Yorkers.”

Representative Paul Tonko said, “More than 40 percent of Americans live in areas with unhealthy air quality, with minority and low-income communities facing a disproportionate amount of pollution. In August 2021, I invited EPA Administrator Regan to visit some of the communities in the Capital Region struggling with air pollution that will benefit directly from these awards. These investments will strengthen community-led initiatives and have a lasting positive impact. I was proud to address this environmental injustice and strengthen public health by investing boldly in air monitoring improvements in both our Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan. And I thank the Administrator and EPA for following up on the visit to our region by delivering this critical funding.”

Residents of the South Bronx have long been exposed to elevated levels of air pollution that gravely impact all aspects of our health: physical, mental, and emotional. Without investment in environmental justice, our communities will continue to be left behind and their health will suffer the consequences. I am encouraged by the EPA’s focus on improving air quality for those who need it most by supporting community-based organizations doing the hard work. The impact the funds from the Inflation Reduction Act will have on public health in the Bronx is another step forward in furthering our mission of cleaner and greener borough,” said Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15).

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “I applaud the Biden-Harris Administration, EPA Administrator Regan, and Regional Administrator Garcia for their continued commitment to ensuring all communities across the nation, particularly those communities most vulnerable to sources of air pollution, are being monitored and protected for clean air. This significant funding will provide more than $4 million to efforts in New York State, including nearly $600,000 to DEC, to further enhance the aggressive steps Governor Kathy Hochul and DEC are taking toward new and innovative projects to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants. We congratulate all the awardees and look forward to working together to build upon New York’s statewide air monitoring initiatives, develop strategies to improve air quality and cut climate-altering emissions, and support New York's ambitious climate targets for a safer and healthier environment for all.”

($381,729) The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe will deploy a low-cost air quality monitoring network in Akwesasne to address gaps in air pollution monitoring for sources of concern to the community. The recipient will work closely with the community to identify sampling locations and use a real-time data dashboard and in townhall sessions to disseminate the monitoring results to the community.

($500,000) Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice Inc., a not-for-profit organization, will partner with multiple organizations to collect air quality data in the vicinity of the Cross Bronx Expressway. This data, along with advocacy and environmental justice training, community meetings, and events, will support the Expressway's redevelopment to benefit the South Bronx community. Project activities will occur in the Bronx, New York City, specifically along the Cross Bronx Expressway. This includes the neighborhoods of Parkchester/Castle Hill, Jerome/Washington Heights, Hunts Point, West Bronx, and Bronx River/Soundview.      

($499,963) The Research Foundation of The State University of New York, Amherst, will deploy low-cost air pollution sensors at sampling sites in the residence of the underserved African American community in Buffalo and develop a community-specific air quality prediction model by integrating the collected sensor measurements with existing data. Data will be helpful for vulnerable populations in the community.

($500,000) The Red Hook Initiative, a Brooklyn not-for-profit organization, will increase the capacity of the Red Hook community to measure, document, and interpret air quality issues. It will expand air monitoring through neighborhood-wide analysis and air quality monitors and build an advocacy agenda to address air quality issues and implement strategies to mitigate environmental harms.

($499,939) The Research Foundation for the State University of New York, University at Albany, will improve air quality and public health across underserved neighborhoods in New York State by leveraging low-cost sensor monitoring to determine air pollutant exposures and engage and empower community stakeholders. Collected data will help to reduce ambient and indoor air pollution concentrations. Areas of special focus will include New York’s Capital District, Cohoes, Harlem, Kingston, Newburgh Poughkeepsie and Schenectady.

($499,032) The State University of New York at Albany will create the NY Capital District communities air quality measurement network, which will be built based on low-cost sensors outdoor/indoor measurements, with five community schools as sites and supplemented by mobile lab measurements. Analysis of these measurements will provide air pollution outdoor/indoor exposure estimations and promote policies and practices to improve air quality and health outcomes. Areas of special focus will include Albany, Troy and Schenectady.

($499,963) The Onondaga Lake Cleanup Corp, a not-for-profit organization, will create a community-based education and outreach campaign to provide accessible air quality data through a web-based dashboard. Residents and communities can use the information to protect individual and community health and advocate for effective solutions. South and Southwest neighborhoods of Syracuse, N.Y., will be areas of special focus.

The Onondaga Environmental Institute said, "The partners are excited to be working together with EPA on this project. The partnership is the result of key grassroots initiatives that arose out of environmental fights in Environmental Justice (EJ) communities. Along with air monitoring accompanying highway construction in EJ neighborhoods, the Onondaga Environmental Institute, Onondaga Earth Corps, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, City of Syracuse, Focusing Our Resources for Community Enlightenment, Syracuse City School District, and SUNY Upstate Medical University will work with a citizen's advisory group to create a community-based education and outreach campaign that will provide accessible air quality data through a web-based dashboard. Residents and communities can use the information to protect individual and community health and advocate for effective neighborhood solutions to air quality issues."

The air pollution monitoring projects are made possible by more than $30 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds, which supplemented $20 million from the American Rescue Plan and enabled EPA to support 77 additional projects, more than twice the number of projects initially proposed by community-based nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, and Tribal governments.

These grant selections further the goals of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative and Executive Order, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, which directed that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to overburdened communities that face disproportionately high and adverse health and environmental impacts. By enhancing air monitoring and encouraging partnerships with communities, EPA is investing in efforts to better protect people’s health, particularly those in underserved communities.

EPA will start the process of awarding the funding by the end of 2022, once the grant applicants have met all legal and administrative requirements. Grantees will have three years to spend the funds from the time EPA awards the grants.

See the full list of applications selected for award.

Background

In spring 2021, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, providing EPA with a one-time supplemental appropriation of $100 million to address health outcome disparities from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic. Half of that $100 million, was dedicated to air quality monitoring. EPA Regions began awarding nearly $22.5 million from this appropriation in 2022 as direct awards to state, tribal, and local air agencies for continuous monitoring of fine particles and other common pollutants. In addition, EPA Regions are in the process of procuring monitoring equipment using $5 million in American Rescue Plan funding to advance the EPA Regional Offices’ mobile air monitoring capacity and establish air sensor loan programs. These investments will improve EPA's ability to support communities that need short-term monitoring and air quality information. 

In July 2021, EPA announced the $20 million American Rescue Plan Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring for Communities Grant Competition. The goal of this competition was to improve air quality monitoring in and near underserved communities across the United States, support community efforts to monitor their own air quality, and promote air quality monitoring partnerships between communities and tribal, state, and local governments. EPA received more than 200 applications in response to the competition.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provides funding to EPA to deploy, integrate, support, and maintain fenceline air monitoring, screening air monitoring, national air toxics trend stations, and other air toxics and community monitoring. Specifically, the Inflation Reduction Act provides funding for grants and other activities under section 103 and section 105 of the Clean Air Act. EPA is using approximately $32.3 million of this funding to select 77 high-scoring community monitoring applications.

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