EPA Press Office:

Biden-Harris Administration Announces over $278 Million in Funding to Improve Water Infrastructure for Tribes and Alaska Native Villages

EPA announces its largest investment of annual water infrastructure funding ever for Tribes and Alaska Native Villages through President's Biden's Investing in America agenda

WASHINGTON (June 28, 2023) – Today, at an event with Lummi Nation in Bellingham, Washington, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox, announced over $278 million in funding to improve access to safe and reliable drinking water and wastewater services for American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages. Thanks to the boost from President Biden’s historic Investing in America agenda, this year, EPA is providing its largest investment ever of annual water infrastructure funding to Tribes. The funding will help Tribes and Alaska Native Villages make significant investments in water infrastructure improvements to advance public health protections by improving compliance with existing water regulations, identifying and replacing lead service lines, and addressing harmful emerging contaminants in drinking water and wastewater, such as per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS).

“For too long, Tribes have struggled without access to basic water services—impacting their health and economic well-being. Today’s funding announcement is a generational investment that moves us closer to achieving a future where all Tribes have access to safe drinking water and wastewater services,” said Assistant EPA Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “Thanks to President Biden’s commitment to equitable investment in infrastructure through the Investing in America agenda, progress will be made for places that need it most including Tribes that don’t currently have access to safe drinking water and wastewater services.”

The funding will be administered through the following programs:

• $64 million in FY 2023 Clean Water Indian Set-Aside (CWISA) through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and annual appropriation funds;
• $130.3 million in FY 2023 Drinking Water Infrastructure Grants through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and annual appropriation funds;
• $38.6 million in combined FY 2022 and FY 2023 Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Tribal Grant Program through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds;
• $5.6 million in combined FY 2022 and FY 2023 Small, Underserved, and Disadvantaged Communities (SUDC) Tribal Grant Program through annual appropriation funds, and
• $39.6 million in FY 2023 Alaska Rural and Native Villages (ANV) Grant Program through annual appropriation funds.

"This funding opportunity isn't just a great opportunity for our Nation, but a great opportunity for all Tribal Nations that are looking for assistance with tribal water systems,” said Lummi Vice Chairman Terrence Adams. “Tribal people have an important relationship with the water, and we believe that it is our inherent responsibility to take care of the water as it cares for us.”

“Clean water is a human right that for too long historically underserved communities have lacked access to, including Tribal communities,” said U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02), Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “Today’s funding, the nation’s single largest commitment to Tribal water infrastructure, will help ensure all people have access to safe and clean water, no matter where they live. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to make investments that will improve lives, level the playing field, and create jobs.”

Additional information on Grant Programs:

Some of the funding for today’s announcement comes from the new Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Tribal Grant Program. For the first time, EPA will provide $38.6 million to address emerging contaminants, including PFAS, in drinking water systems serving Tribal populations. This announcement also includes an implementation manual for the new program  that focuses on assisting small tribal public water systems in identifying and/or remediating challenges related to PFAS and other emerging contaminants.

Approximately $5.6 million of today’s funding announcement comes from the Small, Underserved and Disadvantaged Communities Tribal Grant Program. This tribal grant program is designed to help public water systems in underserved and small tribal communities gain access to drinking water services and comply with Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.

Finally, today’s announcement also includes funding for the Alaska Rural and Native Villages (ANV) Grant Program, which is a program that has been in place since 1996. This $39.6 million in funding will support Alaska Native Villages with the construction of high priority drinking water and wastewater facilities in rural Alaska as well as training, technical assistance, and educational programs in support of sustainable water systems.

For more information visit:

1. Tribal Water
2. Tribal Drinking Water
3. Small, Underserved and Disadvantaged Communities Grant
4. Clean Water Indian Set Aside Program

These investments totaling more than $278 million are part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which is growing 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.

Background
The CWISA program provides funding for wastewater infrastructure to American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages. The CWISA program was established under the 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act (CWA).  Funds may be used for planning, design, and construction of wastewater collection and treatment systems. The CWISA program is administered by the EPA in cooperation with the Indian Health Service (IHS) Division of Sanitation Facilities Construction program.

The Drinking Water Infrastructure Grants Tribal Set-Aside (DWIG-TSA) is a longstanding program funded from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund that provides direct EPA support for tribal water infrastructure improvements. The Tribal SUDC program was created under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act and provides support for Tribal drinking water. Infrastructure projects for these programs are primarily implemented in partnership with the Indian Health Service, who are partners with EPA in the Tribal Infrastructure Task Force (ITF). The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law builds on successful programs like the WIIN Act’s Grant Programs and the DWIG-TSA to bring additional public health protections and drinking water improvements to more Tribal communities across the country.

EPA will continue to use the existing SUDC Tribal Grant Program Implementation Document, CWISA Program Guidance and  DWIG-TSA Program Guidelines to guide implementation of those programs. In May 2022, EPA released the 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Tribal Funding Memorandum to provide guidance on the implementation of CWISA and DWIG-TSA funding programs provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including the set-asides for emerging contaminants and lead service line replacement projects.

 EPA Press Office:

EPA, West Virginia Join McDowell County Officials at Ribbon Cutting to Celebrate New Sewer Project

For first-time ever, Coalwood residents will have access to public sewer service

PHILADELPHIA, (June 28, 2023) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz joined West Virginia and McDowell County officials in Welch today for a ribbon cutting celebrating the completion of the first phase of the Coalwood Wastewater project.  Phase 1 of the project will bring for the first time ever public sewer service to 72 homes in Coalwood.  “Too many communities in the United States and here in West Virginia are still living without the basics—including safe and reliable drinking water and wastewater systems,” said Ortiz. “EPA is committed to working with our state partners and investing in communities so that they have the tools and resources to solve public health and environmental problems while opening new doors of opportunities.” In fiscal year 2023, EPA will provide nearly $110 million to West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs that support water infrastructure improvements throughout the state.  Through West Virginia DEP’s Clean Water SRF program, McDowell County Public Service District received a $1.2 million principal forgiveness loan to support the Coalwood sewer project. This funding was leveraged with another $1.5 million in Community Development Block Grants and a $1.3 million WV Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council grant, for a total project cost of $3.8 million. “For more than a century, the people of McDowell County have made the hard sacrifices to power our nation to greatness, and upgrades to essential water and wastewater infrastructure throughout the community are long-overdue,” said Senator Manchin. “I’m proud to have supported the Coalwood Sewer project that is on track to serve nearly 100 residents, and I applaud the EPA, the McDowell Public Service District and everyone else who played a role in making this new collection and treatment system a reality. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for projects like this one that enhance the health and quality of life of West Virginians across the Mountain State.” “The Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act, which we crafted in the EPW Committee, represented the largest investment in clean drinking water in our nation’s history, and was included in the final Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” EPW Committee Ranking Member Capito said. “Importantly, it ensured the State Revolving Funds had adequate funding because states like West Virginia know best how to address local issues in their communities. A great example of this is the Coalwood Sewer project, and I’m thrilled to see this important project make more progress today to improve our water systems in McDowell County.” “The PSD is very excited to have completed our first wastewater project, Coalwood Wastewater Phase 1,” said Mavis Brewster, Public Service District General Manager.  “For many years, residents in Coalwood have endured issues with sewage backing up in yards and basements due to a failing collection system that was installed by coal companies in the 1930’s. Today we are happy to say that we have a solution to that problem for the residents in the Phase 1 area. Residents can enjoy their homes and properties without worrying about the health issues associated with sewage in yards and the concern of contamination to our creeks and streams. Completion of this sewer project will promote growth and development and will protect the health of our residents and our environment. All of us at McDowell County Public Service District are proud to be offering this service. There is still much more work to be done but we are dedicated to the residents in McDowell County and we will continue to proudly service them.” In April, EPA recognized the PSD’s Coalwood Sewer Project Phase 1 as an exceptional Clean Water SRF infrastructure project, earning it a PISCES (Performance and Innovation in the SRF Creating Environmental Success) award.  A planned phase 2 will provide public sewer service to 136 more homes in Coalwood. Last month, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan announced a series of initial actions that respond directly to the concerns he saw and heard on the ground during his visit to the state in December 2022, which marked the Administrator’s third Journey to Justice tour. Following through on his commitment to deliver solutions to the people of McDowell County, Administrator Regan announced these EPA actions: Community Solutions Coordinator Beginning fall 2023, EPA will work with state and local agencies in West Virginia to create a full-time position dedicated to identifying and expediting eligible resource opportunities across the federal government for the state’s southern coalfield counties, including McDowell. The Community Solutions Coordinator will serve as a point of contact for these counties to accelerate progress, increase investments, and strengthen existing networks in these areas. Air Quality Monitoring Thanks to funding from the American Rescue Plan and President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, Appalachian Voices, an organization committed to advancing a just transition for Central and Southern Appalachia, is expected to receive a $118,297 grant to deploy low-cost air quality monitors in communities with air quality challenges across several states, including West Virginia. Air quality data will be collected and made publicly available to foster community engagement around local and regional air quality issues in communities adjacent to one or more coal mines, coal-fired plants, fossil fuel export hubs and more. A portion of this funding will be made available to McDowell County through Appalachia Mountain Flows Corps, a Keystone, West Virginia-based organization. Dig Deep Right to Water Community Grant During Administrator Regan’s Journey to Justice tour, he met with community members who lack access to basic wastewater infrastructure, many of whom rely on straight-pipes to carry raw sewage from their homes into local waterways. To help bolster the community’s wastewater infrastructure, the Dig Deep Right to Water Project will receive a $495,840 grant, funded through FY 2022 annual appropriations, for a sanitary septic and sewerage service project. Dig Deep will install approximately 35 onsite sewage systems for properties in McDowell County that are currently directly discharging to streams.  Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (TCTAC)                Through EPA’s Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers, which is designed to help underserved and overburdened communities across the country access funds from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the National Wildlife Federation will receive $12 million in grants over five years to provide community resources and assistance across the Mid-Atlantic Region. West Virginia State University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), is a partner in this effort and will continue working to provide additional technical assistance and support to the McDowell County community – from providing training and other assistance to building capacity for navigating federal grant application systems, to writing strong grant proposals, to effectively managing grant funding.

 

For further information: r3press@epa.gov

 EPA Press Office:

EPA and Senator Carper join DNREC for visit to Standard Chlorine Superfund Site in New Castle, DE

 

New Castle, DE – During a visit to Delaware this week, EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe joined Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), and Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary Shawn Garvin at the Standard Chlorine Superfund site in New Castle, Delaware. The Superfund Site benefitted from $1 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding toward its ongoing remediation.

“It was an honor to join Senator Carper and Secretary Garvin yesterday in New Castle, Delaware to see firsthand the benefits of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda and the progress that has been made in cleaning up the Standard Chlorine Superfund site,” said Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “Investments like the ones we are making right here in Delaware are helping us continue to build momentum toward ensuring that the communities living near these sites get the public health and environmental protections they deserve.”

"EPA’s Superfund program is not only responsible for cleaning up the past, but also for cleaning up for the future,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “These contaminated sites are hurting our local economies and holding back some of our most vulnerable communities. Thanks to historic bipartisan infrastructure investments, these sites continue to move closer to being fully remediated and returned to productive use.”

During the visit, EPA and DNREC staff highlighted the response actions taken so far, including the removal of hazardous chemicals, decontamination and removal of equipment and piping, the installation of a groundwater extraction and treatment system, and a soil cap on a 25-acre portion of the site – all measures undertaken to prevent the migration of contamination off-site and to protect the surrounding environment and community.

“The Superfund program plays an important role in protecting communities from the health risks associated with legacy pollution,” said Senator Carper, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “Thanks to our historic investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA has more resources to remove the harmful pollutants present at sites like Standard Chorine in New Castle, Delaware. I am pleased that Deputy Administrator McCabe and Regional Administrator Ortiz joined me in touring this Superfund site and seeing firsthand how this EPA grant is benefiting the First State.”

Standard Chlorine of Delaware is a 65-acre Superfund site located three miles northwest of Delaware City that manufactured chlorinated benzene compounds for nearly 40 years. Chlorobenzenes from two spills in the 1980’s have been found in groundwater, soil, creek sediments, surface water and nearby wetlands. After being added to the National Priorities List in 1987, EPA and DNREC took over control of the site in 2002 after the owner closed and abandoned the plant and declared bankruptcy.

“DNREC’s remediation work cleaning up former industrial sites to return them to productive use benefits all Delawareans, including underserved communities throughout the state,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “Our federal partners support this important work, most recently by providing funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that helps us continue our ongoing groundwater remedy work at the former Standard Chlorine of Delaware in New Castle County.”

Also this week, EPA officials visited Sussex County, DE with Senator Carper, DNREC, and the Nature Conservancy to announce more than $500,000 in clean water investments for the state – while addressing climate change impacts facing Delaware. The announcement took place in Cape Henlopen State Park, a location that will receive funds under the BEACH Act for continued water quality monitoring.

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Announces Over $50 Million to Assist Small, Underserved, and Disadvantaged Communities in Accessing Clean and Safe Drinking Water

WASHINGTON (June 26, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $50.4 million in annual funding to states and territories for communities most in need of access to clean and safe drinking water. The funding will support projects and activities in underserved, small and disadvantaged communities to access and invest in water infrastructure and comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).

“Across the country, too many communities struggle with accessing clean, safe water,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “These grants will invest in solutions that upgrade infrastructure, improve water reliability, and deliver safe drinking water to our most vulnerable communities.  This grant, along with other funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will strengthen our nation’s water infrastructure and ensure everyone has access to clean, safe water.”

Grant funding can support a broad range of approaches to help communities address drinking water concerns, from household water quality testing to monitoring for unregulated drinking water contaminants. Funds may also support efforts to build the technical, financial, and managerial abilities of a water system’s operations and staff. Infrastructure projects—from transmission, distribution, and storage—that support drinking water quality improvements are also eligible for grant funding.

The Small, Underserved, and Disadvantaged Community grant program, established under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, awards funding to states and territories on a non-competitive basis. EPA awards funding to states based on an allocation formula that includes factors for population below the poverty level, small water systems, and underserved communities. There is a 10% Tribal allotment. For more information, visit the WIIN SUDC Grant website.  

FY23 WIIN Funding for Small, Underserved and Disadvantaged Community Grant

State/Territory	Available Funding
Alaska	$1,157,000
Alabama	$739,000
Arkansas	$724,000
American Samoa	$279,000
Arizona	$1,021,000
California	$3,304,000
Colorado	$942,000
Connecticut	$562,000
District of Columbia	$303,000
Delaware	$396,000
Florida	$1,966,000
Georgia	$1,338,000
Guam	$262,000
Hawaii	$341,000
Iowa	$711,000
Idaho	$642,000
Illinois	$1,417,000
Indiana	$854,000
Kansas	$780,000
Kentucky	$703,000
Louisiana	$1,303,000
Massachusetts	$695,000
Maryland	$621,000
Maine	$476,000
Michigan	$1,294,000
Minnesota	$761,000
Missouri	$1,059,000
Northern Mariana	$277,000
Mississippi	$818,000
Montana	$642,000
North Carolina	$1,401,000
North Dakota	$430,000
Nebraska	$581,000
New Hampshire	$534,000
New Jersey	$798,000
New Mexico	$812,000
Nevada	$601,000
New York	$2,037,000
Ohio	$1,232,000
Oklahoma	$1,019,000
Oregon	$826,000
Pennsylvania	$1,633,000
Puerto Rico	$541,000
Rhode Island	$342,000
South Carolina	$748,000
South Dakota	$506,000
Tennessee	$807,000
Texas	$3,692,000
Utah	$604,000
Virginia	$974,000
Virgin Islands	$273,000
Vermont	$421,000
Washington	$1,165,000
Wisconsin	$907,000
West Virginia	$648,000
Wyoming	$475,000
Total	$50,394,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information, visit:  https://www.epa.gov/dwcapacity/wiin-grant-small-underserved-and-disadvantaged-communities-grant-program-0

 EPA Press Office:

EPA joins Mayor Hancock to award over $1 million for revitalization of contaminated riverfront property in Denver’s Sun Valley neighborhood

Denver Housing Authority to clean up and develop new housing at abandoned Tank Farm

U.S. EPA:

Richard Mylott, mylott.richard@epa.gov, 720-237-8119

Denver Housing Authority:

Allison Trembly, Director of Communication and Public Affairs, atrembly@denverhousing.org 

 

DENVER (June 26, 2023) – At an event today at the newly-opened Thrive residential complex in Denver’s Sun Valley neighborhood, Kelly Watkins of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 8 office joined Denver Mayor Michael Hancock; Denver Housing Authority CEO David Nisivoccia; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Deputy Regional Administrator, Erik Amundson; Denver City Council President, Jamie Torres; and Sun Valley resident, Craig Allen to announce a $1,049,300 Brownfields cleanup grant to the Denver Housing Authority (DHA).

The grant, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will be used to clean up the eight-acre Former Zuni Tank Farm at 2514 West 13th Avenue and 2501 West 11th Avenue in Denver.   DHA will oversee the redevelopment of the site into new, energy-efficient affordable housing units and a riverfront park expanding the greenway and connecting the neighborhood to the river. The park will feature environmental education, a water-feature play area, cafes, play fields and courts and multi-use trails.

“EPA continues to support city and community leaders as they work to revitalize the Sun Valley neighborhood,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker. “This cleanup grant will address contamination at a critical property along the South Platte River, improving green infrastructure and water quality and providing opportunities for new housing and recreational amenities.”  

The Zuni Tank Farm is a prominent property in Sun Valley near Invesco Field and the South Platte River. Former uses of the site include a scrap metal warehouse, landfill, coal-fired power plant, aboveground storage tanks and detention ponds. Soil sampling identified the presence of benzo[a]pyrene and other polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. Heavy metals, asbestos, lead and other inorganic contaminants have also been found in buildings and storage tanks on the site.

“Denver Housing Authority is thrilled to have been selected as an EPA Brownfields Grant recipient,” said David Nisivoccia, Chief Executive Officer of Denver Housing Authority. “Utilizing the grant funds, this site will be cleaned to residential standards and a portion of the land will be converted into a future park that borders the South Platte River. The project property is adjacent to our newest housing developments, GreenHaus and Thrive, which just completed construction, are leasing now and will serve 264 family households, in addition to the 187 families being served by the Gateway Apartments.” 

As new families move into the Sun Valley community, economic benefits of affordability, new jobs, increased tax revenues and more consumer spending will continue to bring new life to the target area and surrounding businesses. 

The City and County of Denver charged DHA with implementing the Sun Valley Neighborhood Transformation Plan. DHA created Sun Valley Zuni, LLC, to assume site ownership and cleanup at the tank farm property.

EPA’s award for the Sun Valley project is among eight Brownfields grants totaling more than $5 million announced this month for cleanup and revitalization projects in communities across Colorado. Other grantees are receiving funds for projects in Brighton, Buena Vista, Pueblo, Silverton, San Luis, San Miguel County and Trinidad. 

Background 

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 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. 

 EPA Press Office:

Messer LLC to pay $1.9 million penalty for Clean Water Act violations at New Cumberland, WV facility

For Immediate Release: Contact: R3press@epa.gov

Messer LLC to pay $1.9 million penalty
for Clean Water Act violations at New Cumberland, WV facility

PHILADELPHIA (June 23, 2023) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that Messer LLC has agreed to pay a $1.9 million civil penalty for Clean Water Act permit violations at its air products manufacturing facility in New Cumberland, West Virginia. 

Along with the financial penalty, Messer has agreed to take actions to eliminate ongoing National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit violations and prevent future violations. This includes constructing a new treatment system at the facility and conducting enhanced stormwater discharge inspections to ensure compliance with the Clean Water Act and parallel West Virginia laws.  The facility exceeded permit limits for copper, aluminum, residual chlorine, phenolics and iron.  

“The protection of our nation’s natural resources and public health is the primary goal of EPA’s enforcement efforts,” said EPA Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “The obligations of today’s settlement will better ensure that the waters of West Virginia and the health of communities that rely on them are a top priority.”

The penalty will be divided equally between the United States and West Virginia, who are co-plaintiffs in this consent decree. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection assisted EPA in the investigation, litigation and settlement. The settlement addresses alleged federal and state environmental law violations, which threaten to degrade receiving streams and impact public health and harm aquatic life and the environment. 

The facility is bordered by the Ohio River and discharges into the river. 

The proposed consent decree, filed in the federal district court for the Northern District of West Virginia, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal district court.

A copy of the consent decree with more specifics about the violations is available online at : https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decree/us-et-al-v-messer-llc

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Invites Youth to Serve on Agency's First-Ever National Environmental Youth Advisory Council

WASHINGTON (June 22, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the formal establishment of the agency’s first-ever National Environmental Youth Advisory Council (NEYAC). The NEYAC will provide independent advice and recommendations to Administrator Michael S. Regan on how to increase EPA’s efforts to address a range of environmental issues as they relate to youth communities. The NEYAC will provide a critical perspective on how the impacts of climate change and other environmental harms affect youth communities. The Administrator announced his intent to launch the youth council last June at the Austrian World Summit.

EPA is soliciting applications for youth to fill 16 vacancies on the NEYAC. Selected applicants will contribute to a balance of perspectives, backgrounds, and experience of the council and will be appointed by the Administrator. As a first-of-its-kind committee, all members of NEYAC will be between the ages of 16 and 29. 

As part of the agency’s commitment to centering environmental justice communities, at least 50% of the overall membership of NEYAC will come from, reside primarily in, and/or do most of their work in disadvantaged communities as defined by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) as part of Justice40. 

“We can’t tackle the environmental challenges of our time without input from our younger communities, who’ve long been at the forefront of social movements,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This committee will help ensure that the voices and perspectives of our youth are included and valued in EPA’s decision-making as we continue to advance President Biden’s commitment to ensuring everyone in this country has access to clean air, safe water and healthy land, now and for generations to come.”

Applications to the NEYAC are due by August 22, 2023 at 11:59PM ET. To apply for appointment to the council, the below information is required:

• Contact information 
• Resume OR short biography OR qualification essay 
• Statement of interest 
• Media Project 

Visit the EPA NEYAC webpage for more information on the council and to apply.

EPA will be hosting virtual application webinars where the public can ask EPA staff questions live. The webinars will be on Zoom and will be hosted at the following times: 

• Friday, June 30, 2023 @ 3PM – 4PM ET // Register here
• Monday, August 7, 2023 @ 12PM – 1PM ET // Register here