EPA Press Office:

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $58 million to Reduce Lead in Schools and Childcare Facilities Through Investing in America Agenda

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law expanded the eligibility of WIIN funding to include remediating lead in water that children drink, in addition to testing and compliance monitoring

WASHINGTON (July 24, 2023) – Today, at an event in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox and EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash, along with U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Representative Katherine Clark, announced $58 million in grant funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to protect children from lead in drinking water at schools and childcare facilities across the country. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, activities that remove sources of lead in drinking water are now, for the first time, eligible to receive funding through the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN). This grant funding, which is provided to states, territories, and Tribes, advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan and unprecedented commitment to delivering clean water for all communities, especially historically marginalized and low-income communities

 

“I am excited to join local leaders in Boston to announce $58 million in grant funding that can be used to test for lead in drinking water, identify potential sources, and remove those sources to better protect our nation’s children,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “Reducing lead in drinking water is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration and EPA is taking a holistic approach — harmonizing drinking water standards with historic infrastructure investments under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law while providing technical assistance to disadvantaged communities to protect all our children from lead in drinking water.”

 

EPA is also releasing a revised grant implementation document that outlines new authority provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to fund activities that remove sources of lead in drinking water. The Voluntary School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program funds voluntary lead testing, compliance monitoring, and for the first-time, lead in drinking water remediation projects. Lead remediation actions may include but are not limited to the removal, installation, and replacement of internal plumbing, lead pipes or lead connectors, faucets, water fountains, water filler stations, point-of-use devices, and other lead-free apparatus related to drinking water. 

 

“Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Massachusetts students and families will rest easier knowing that the water in our schools is safe and free of dangerous toxins like lead,” said U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA). “This investment in our schools and our infrastructure will help support the lasting, resilient water systems our communities deserve.”

 

“During his first year in office, President Biden announced a bold plan to replace every lead pipe in America. Today’s announcement is another step toward making that vision a reality. Schools and child care centers across the country will have the resources to ensure students are safe to learn, play, and grow alongside their friends,” said House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05). “As this funding is put to work in Massachusetts and across the country, House Democrats remain committed to building on the success of our Investing in America agenda – forging a cleaner, greener, safer, and more prosperous future for every American.”

 

The grant funding announced today is provided to states, territories, and Tribes through the WIIN. The grant program requires the use of guidance from EPA’s 3Ts (Training, Testing, and Taking Action) Program to support schools and childcare facilities in making progress on reducing lead in drinking water. Tools and resources from the 3Ts Program help states, territories, and Tribes provide technical assistance and take action to support the health and safety of children in early care and education settings. The program also helps advance President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which is helping address environmental injustice by ensuring that the benefits of federal investments in clean water, clean energy, and other programs reach communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. 

 

Today’s announcement advances the goals of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan and EPA’s Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities in U.S. Communities. Under these initiatives, EPA is developing the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements to strengthen the Agency’s regulatory framework. EPA intends to propose requirements that, along with other actions, would result in the replacement of all lead service lines as quickly as is feasible. EPA is also investing $15 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to remove lead service lines. In addition to the dedicated funding for lead service line removal, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides another $11.7 billion in general funding through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund that can also be utilized for lead removal projects. 

 

Learn more about the Biden-Harris Administration’s Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan and EPA’s Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities in U.S. Communities.

 

Background 

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is dedicating an unprecedented $15 billion to removing lead from drinking water. The Voluntary School and Childcare Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program complements these funds to further reduce lead in drinking water. Under this grant, EPA allocates funds to eligible states and territories based on a formula that includes factors for population, disadvantaged communities, and lead exposure risk. For more information, visit: WIIN Grant: Voluntary School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program.

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Invites Public Input on Proposed Cleanup Plan for New Cassel/Hicksville Groundwater Contamination Superfund Site

NEW YORK (July 24, 2023) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is encouraging the public to comment on its proposed cleanup plan to address contaminated groundwater at a portion of the New Cassel/Hicksville Groundwater Contamination Superfund site in Nassau County, New York. A 30-day public comment period for the proposed plan begins July 24, 2023. EPA will host a public meeting at East Meadow Public Library, 1886 Front Street, East Meadow, New York on August 10, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. to explain this cleanup proposal. 

 

“Community feedback is a key part of EPA’s process as we decide how best to clean up this portion of the New Cassel/Hicksville Superfund site,” said Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “EPA is proposing to install a system to treat the contaminated groundwater at the site. We encourage the public to join our meeting, ask questions and share their views on the proposed plan.” 

 

Harmful chemicals at the New Cassel/Hicksville Groundwater Contamination site have contaminated the water underground in the towns of Hempstead, North Hempstead, and Oyster Bay. The site contamination covers 6.5 square miles and affects several drinking water wells. The groundwater contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs), primarily tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE).  

 

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation found the pollution sources and asked EPA to clean up the site in 2011. EPA is cleaning up the site in parts, called Operable Units (OUs). EPA has identified three OUs. In 2013, EPA selected a cleanup plan in a part of the site near the New Cassel Industrial Area called Operable Unit 1 (OU1). The cleanup plan for OU1 includes systems to pump groundwater to the surface and treat it. Work needed to plan and build those systems is underway. EPA is investigating the best way to address contaminated groundwater in an area in the eastern portion of the site designated as OU2. 

 

The cleanup outlined in today’s proposed plan will address the contaminated groundwater in a part of the site called OU3. This part of the site is south of both Old Country Road and OU1. The plan is to install deep wells from which the polluted groundwater will be pumped and sent to a newly constructed treatment plant. The treatment plant will remove the contamination from the groundwater before releasing it back into the ground or nearby waterway. The plan also includes long-term groundwater monitoring to verify the method works and controls to ensure no one drills new drinking water wells in the affected area. 

 

Written comments on the proposed plan may be mailed or emailed to Aidan Conway, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway – 19th Floor, New York, NY 10007, Email: conway.aidan@epa.gov. 

 

For additional background and to see the proposed cleanup plan, visit the New Cassel/Hicksville Groundwater Contamination Superfund site profile page. 

 

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

 

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 EPA Press Release:

EPA Releases Draft Strategy to Better Protect Endangered Species from Herbicide Use

Strategy aims to increase efficiencies while supporting farmers, herbicide users with continued use of important pesticide tools

WASHINGTON (July 24, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the draft Herbicide Strategy for public comment, a major milestone in the Agency’s work to protect federally endangered and threatened (listed) species from conventional agricultural herbicides. The Strategy describes proposed early mitigations for more than 900 listed species and designated critical habitats to reduce potential impacts from the agricultural use of these herbicides while helping to ensure the continued availability of these important pesticide tools.

 

“Ensuring safe use of herbicides is an important part of EPA’s mission to protect the environment,” said Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pesticide Programs for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Jake Li. “This strategy reflects one of our biggest steps to support farmers and other herbicide users with tools for managing weeds, while accelerating EPA’s ability to protect many endangered species that live near agricultural areas.”

 

The Strategy released today is part of EPA’s ongoing efforts to develop a multichemical, multispecies approach to meeting its obligations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). EPA’s traditional chemical-by-chemical, species-by-species approach to meeting these obligations is slow and costly.  As a result, EPA has completed its ESA obligations for less than 5% of its actions, creating legal vulnerabilities for the Agency, increased litigation, and uncertainty for farmers and other pesticide users about their continued ability to use many pesticides. The Strategy — which is primarily designed to provide early mitigations that minimize impacts to over 900 listed species — is one of EPA’s most significant proposals to help overcome these challenges.

 

EPA focused the Strategy on agricultural crop uses in the lower 48 states because hundreds of millions of pounds of herbicides (and plant growth regulators) are applied each year, which is substantially more than for non-agricultural uses of herbicides and for other pesticide classes (e.g., insecticides, fungicides). Additionally, hundreds of listed species in the lower 48 states live in habitats adjacent to agricultural areas. The proposed mitigations in the Strategy would address the most common ways that conventional agricultural herbicides impact these listed species.

 

EPA expects that the Strategy will increase the efficiency of future ESA consultations on herbicides with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which has authority over most listed species that could benefit from the proposed mitigations. Under the Strategy, EPA proposes to identify and begin mitigating for potential impacts even before EPA completes ESA consultations. These early mitigations should expedite EPA’s ability to fully comply with the ESA by reducing impacts to listed species before EPA conducts most of its ESA analysis. Adopting mitigations earlier will also allow EPA and FWS to far more efficiently use their resources in ESA consultations.

 

The Strategy’s proposed mitigations reflect practices that can be readily implemented by growers and identified by pesticide applicators and that provide flexibility for growers to select the mitigations that work best for them. The Strategy also gives credit to landowners who are already implementing certain measures to reduce pesticide runoff. For example, existing vegetated ditches and water retention ponds will qualify for credits that reduce the need for additional mitigation. Similarly, the Strategy would require less mitigation on flat lands, which are less prone to runoff, and in many western states, which typically experience less rain to carry pesticides off fields. The Strategy also describes how the Agency could add other mitigation practices to the menu of mitigation options in the future, particularly to incorporate emerging technology or new information on the effectiveness of specific practices.

 

Draft Herbicide Framework Document

 

The draft framework document includes a discussion of both the proposed scope of the Herbicide Strategy and the proposed decision framework to determine the level of mitigation needed for a particular conventional agricultural herbicide. The draft framework document also includes examples of how the proposed herbicide mitigation would apply to some of the herbicides for which EPA has conducted case studies as well as EPA's proposed implementation plan.

 

The draft herbicide framework and accompanying documents are available in docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2023-0365 for public comment for 60 days. 

 

In its ESA Workplan and ESA Workplan Update, EPA outlined this and other ESA initiatives to develop early mitigations that provide listed species with practical protections from pesticides. The Strategy complements those other initiatives, such as targeted mitigations for listed species particularly vulnerable to pesticides and Interim Ecological Mitigations that EPA has begun incorporating under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. The draft framework describes how EPA would apply the mitigations in the Strategy compared to mitigations in the other initiatives.

 

Visit EPA’s website to learn more about how EPA’s pesticide program is protecting endangered species.

 EPA Press Office:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy Announce Intent to Fund Efforts to Reduce Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Sector

Financial and technical assistance will support methane emissions leak reductions and monitoring in cooperation with states

WASHINGTON (July 24, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) released a notice of intent announcing the first in a series of funding opportunities to monitor and reduce methane emissions, one of the biggest drivers of the climate crisis, from the oil and gas sector and for environmental restoration of well sites. Through a newly initiated Interagency Agreement, EPA and DOE will also partner to offer technical assistance to help companies monitor and reduce methane emissions from leaks and daily operations. Through this combination of technical and financial assistance, EPA and DOE will help reduce inefficiencies of U.S. oil and gas operations, create new jobs in energy communities, and realize near-term emission reductions. These funding opportunities are made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.

 

“The amount of methane emitted from oil and gas operations is enough to fuel millions of homes a year and is a major driver of the climate crisis,” said Joe Goffman, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “These programs will help minimize that waste, a benefit for nearby communities and businesses alike.”

 

“Methane’s potency as a greenhouse gas makes targeted emissions reduction efforts essential to slow the rapid rate of climate change,” said Brad Crabtree, Assistant Secretary of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. “These programs will help states and industry to accelerate methane monitoring and mitigation efforts, which will increase efficiency and reduce costs for oil and gas producers, while providing long lasting climate and health benefits to communities across the nation.”

 

As described in the notice of intent, EPA and DOE will provide up to $350 million in formula funding to eligible states to assist industry to voluntarily identify and permanently reduce methane emissions from low-producing (marginal) conventional wells. These investments are expected to improve the economic competitiveness of small and medium-sized producers while reducing associated harmful air pollution, mitigating health effects in nearby communities, and creating jobs in energy communities. States also will be able to use a portion of their award for environmental restoration and to invest in their monitoring capacity for low-producing conventional wells, which will improve their ability to identify sources of methane emissions and to effectively prioritize their mitigation. NETL plans to issue the funding opportunity announcement later this summer.

 

Following this non-competitive solicitation, EPA and DOE intend to offer one or more additional competitive solicitations to monitor and mitigate methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, which will be available to a broader range of applicants. These subsequent funding opportunities are expected to advance the deployment of technologies and practices to monitor and reduce emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases. A separate financial assistance program for Tribal governments is also expected to be offered. 

 

In addition to funding opportunities, through this collaboration, EPA and DOE will provide technical assistance to help states, industry, and other partners implement cost-effective solutions that reduce methane leak emissions. The agencies will support small and medium-sized producers that often lack the capital and expertise of the larger oil and gas companies and will work with partners to implement and prioritize best practices and mitigation decision-support tools across the broader oil and gas sector. This technical assistance will also ensure efforts are fully aligned with the needs of local communities and help inform key decision-makers of mitigation opportunities across states, industry, and other partners.

 

About the Methane Emissions Reduction Program

The Methane Emissions Reduction Program, created by the Inflation Reduction Act, provides $1.55 billion in funding, including financial and technical assistance to improve methane monitoring and reduce methane and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the oil and gas sector with the co-benefit of reducing non-GHG emissions such as volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants. The program allows financial and technical assistance for a number of activities, including: preparing and submitting greenhouse gas reports, monitoring methane emissions, and reducing methane and other greenhouse gas emissions by improving and deploying equipment, supporting innovation, permanently reducing wasteful methane emissions from low-producing conventional wells, mitigating health effects in low-income and disadvantaged communities, improving climate resiliency, supporting environmental restoration, and mitigating legacy air pollution. 

 

More information on Notice of Intent No. DE-FOA-0003108

 

More information on the Methane Emissions Reduction Program

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Regional Administrator to join Mayor and Utah DEQ in westside Salt Lake City for community discussions

EPA to present draft environmental justice assessment, highlight efforts to improve community health

SALT LAKE CITY (July 20, 2023) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator KC Becker will visit community leaders and residents in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Tuesday, July 25, to listen to community concerns, share information about EPA support and grant opportunities and present the initial results of an environmental justice (EJ) assessment focused on westside neighborhoods. 

Becker will be joined by Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Director Kim Shelley. Discussions will include two separate events that are open to media and the public.

These engagements will highlight unprecedented funding opportunities associated with the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, including new and strengthened grant programs for environmental justice, climate change, solar and renewable energy, air monitoring, zero-emissions school buses and property cleanup projects in communities. Salt Lake City and local organizations are already benefiting from many of these programs, and current and future funding opportunities under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act are extensive.

Becker will also present the preliminary results of a draft report detailing environmental and environmental justice concerns in westside communities, an analysis requested by the city and community partners last year.

WHAT AND WHEN: EPA will participate in TWO community events on Tuesday, July 25, that are open to media:

EPA, Utah and Salt Lake City partnership event

Remarks on funding opportunities and photo ops at Homeowner Center at NeighborWorks, featuring solar array and one of Utah Transit Authority's all-electric air quality monitoring buses

10:30-11:30 a.m.

Westside EJ community meeting

Presentation on EPA draft EJ assessment report at NeighborWorks

6-8 p.m.

WHERE:

NeighborWorks

622 West, 500 North

Salt Lake City, 84116

WHO:

• EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker
• Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall
• Utah DEQ Director Kim Shelley

RSVP: Interested media are asked to RSVP to Marisa Lubeck, lubeck.marisa@epa.gov. Please specify which event you are interested in attending.

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Joins Maryland in Announcing New Chapter in Bay Restoration

PHILADELPHIA (July 20, 2022) – EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz joined Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller today on Wye Island in Queen Anne’s County to announce new strategies by Maryland for restoring water quality in the Chesapeake and Atlantic coastal bays.

The governor ushered in a new phase of Chesapeake and coastal bay restoration cooperation by signing an executive order re-creating the “Governor’s Council on the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays watershed.”

The event represented an acknowledgement of Maryland’s longstanding leadership on Bay issues, and reformation of Bay Cabinet as the next phase of its commitment.

“Our administration is focused on working in new and collaborative ways to reduce the pollution reaching our bays and providing our local communities and farmers with the opportunities and resources they need to succeed,” said Gov. Moore. “Now is the time to embrace the lessons we’ve learned in the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays over the past 40 years and evolve our strategy to reflect that.”

“Bay restoration is not only a priority of the Biden-Harris administration, but a personal one of mine as well,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “Investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are creating real progress and tremendous opportunities to improve the health and resiliency of local communities, streams, and the Bays as we also tackle the impacts of climate change.  As the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership determines ways to accelerate our efforts, Governor Moore’s leadership and new focus will help advance our collective work.”

EPA, along with Maryland and other partners are making investments, and using federal and state authorities where it matters, including working with the agricultural community and creating coastal resilience.

This year marks the 40^th anniversary of the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership.  For more about 40 years of working to restore the nation’s largest estuary https://40years.chesapeakebay.net/.

For further information: r3press@epa.gov

 EPA Press Office:

Biden-Harris Administration Proposes Workplace Safety Requirements for Carbon Tetrachloride to Protect Worker Health, Fenceline Communities

Proposal would also ban discontinued uses so they cannot restart

WASHINGTON (July 17, 2023) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposal that will better protect workers from exposure to carbon tetrachloride (CTC), a chemical known to cause serious health risks such as liver toxicity and cancer. This proposal, if finalized, would protect people from these risks by minimizing exposures to workers and communities, while banning uses that have already ceased. The proposal announced today is the fourth proposed risk management rule under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), demonstrating significant implementation progress as the agency, under the Biden-Harris Administration, works to ensure these hazardous chemicals, including CTC, are being used safely and all communities are protected.

 

“The science is clear. Exposure to carbon tetrachloride is dangerous and we have a responsibility to protect the public from the risks it poses,” said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff. “Today's proposal is an important first step to ensuring carbon tetrachloride can be used safely by workers and that surrounding communities are protected.”

 

CTC is a solvent used in commercial settings as a raw material for producing other chemicals like hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) used in refrigerants, aerosol propellants, foam-blowing agents, chlorinated compounds and agricultural products. Requirements under the Montreal Protocol and the Clean Air Act led to a phaseout of CTC production in the United States in 1996 for most domestic uses that did not involve manufacturing of other chemicals, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of CTC in consumer products in 1970.

 

In its 2020 risk evaluation, EPA determined that CTC presents an unreasonable risk to health, including liver toxicity and cancer from chronic inhalation and dermal exposures, largely to workers and occupational non-users (workers nearby but not in direct contact with this chemical). EPA also identified potential risks to fenceline communities (population in close proximity to source of pollution) from CTC in its 2022 fenceline screening analysis for the ambient air pathway.

 

If finalized, this rule would require a workplace chemical protection program with strict controls that include inhalation exposure limits and dermal protections for the manufacturing (including import) of CTC, processing, and other industrial or commercial uses which account for essentially the entire domestic production volume of CTC. The workplace chemical protection program would cover uses related to the phasedown of climate pollutants under the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act, the production of chlorine and caustic soda, the manufacture of agricultural products, and repackaging for use as a laboratory chemical, recycling and disposal.

 

EPA is also proposing workplace controls that would require the use of a fume hood and dermal personal protective equipment for laboratory uses and would establish downstream notification and recordkeeping requirements. Additionally, the proposed rule would prohibit uses of CTC that the Agency determined have already ceased. 

 

The proposed controls, if finalized, will also advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to environmental justice by reducing exposures to fenceline communities. For example, the proposed rule includes a requirement for owners and operators to attest that engineering controls selected to comply with the rule do not increase emissions of CTC to ambient air outside of the facility. EPA is also seeking comments on additional steps that can be taken, including requiring fenceline monitoring.

 

EPA encourages members of the public to read and comment on all aspects of the proposed rule. EPA will accept public comments on the proposed rule for CTC for 45 days following publication in the Federal Register via docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2020-0592 at www.regulations.gov.

 

EPA will also host a public webinar targeted to employers and workers, but useful for anyone looking for an overview of the proposed regulatory action to discuss the proposed program. The date, time and registration information will be announced soon.

 

Learn more about today’s proposal.