Agriculture and Interior Departments Invest $2.8 Billion to Protect Public Lands, Support Conservation Efforts Across the United States
WASHINGTON, June 4, 2024 — The Departments of Agriculture and the Interior announced a proposed investment of $2.8 billion in fiscal year 2025 through the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to protect and sustain our public lands and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-funded schools. Proposed projects will occur in all 50 U.S. states, Washington D.C., and multiple U.S. territories.
EPA Announces Partnership to Increase Access to Healthy Foods and Improve Public Health in Wellston, Ohio
CHICAGO—Today, June 4, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission, announced the City of Wellston, Ohio and five other communities will receive technical assistance through the Local Foods, Local Places program. This shared effort will develop local food systems to advance environmental protection, strengthen local economies and further sustainability goals.
“Access to fresh, quality food is essential to good health, and supporting locally grown food options can help to reduce pollution, including greenhouse gas emissions,” said Vicki Arroyo, EPA Associate Administrator for Policy. “Our Local Foods, Local Places program provides technical assistance with proven strategies to help communities address their nutritional needs and economic development and environmental goals.”
Through this assistance, each community will pursue their local project planning goals:
The City of Wellston, Ohio has proposed a centrally located downtown open-air market reutilizing a vacant city-owned lot.
Braxton County, West Virginia is working with the town of Sutton to expand plans for its farmers market and transform a two-acre Main Street space.
The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania plans to engage residents and stakeholders to reimagine the Carrick Neighborhood Farmers Market.
Turner Station in Baltimore County, Maryland intends to create more opportunities for healthy food access through a Turner Station food access and aggregation plan.
The town of Spring City, Tennessee plans to improve access to local foods, with new community gardens and a farmers’ market to address priority health challenges such as obesity.
The Rabbit Valley Farmers Market, Inc. in Ringgold, Georgia intends to improve community awareness about the market and related food programs on childhood health, nutrition education, improved food access and more.
More detailed descriptions of each community’s goals are included below.
In all six communities, EPA’s Office of Community Revitalization will convene federal, state, regional and local partners for two-day in-person workshops. This assistance will improve public health by increasing access to healthy foods for families and create jobs while protecting the environment. EPA’s Local Foods, Local Places program also helps to integrate food-system assets into communities, boosting local revitalization efforts and encouraging more active lifestyles, thereby improving overall quality of life, especially within marginalized communities. The program emphasizes sustainable food systems and expands economic opportunity, especially for local growers and value-added food processor entrepreneurs.
A pool of applicants from Appalachia was identified building upon a long-standing and productive relationship between EPA and ARC.
“Increasing the availability of locally grown foods not only provides healthy options for the residents of our Appalachian communities, but also spurs economic diversification across the region,” said Gayle Manchin, ARC Federal Co-Chair. “I’m heartened to know that ARC’s partnership with EPA will continue to support Appalachia’s longstanding agriculture industry and create new job opportunities.”
Three communities that will receive Local Foods, Local Places technical assistance (Ringgold, Georgia; Wellston, Ohio; Turner Station in Baltimore County, Maryland) are also participating in an innovative new pilot program through EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Program. The Superfund Redevelopment Program provides technical assistance to support holistic planning, reuse and redevelopment at or near Superfund sites. The program works with communities on project planning and design to utilize spaces outside Superfund site boundaries to address legacy environmental justice issues. This technical assistance will support communities seeking increased healthy food access, community connections and overall revitalization and economic recovery near designated Superfund sites.
“Communities that have faced long-term impacts from local Superfund sites may be ideal candidates for participation in the Local Foods, Local Places program,” said Cliff Villa, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Land and Emergency Management. “These three pilot workshops will help communities learn how the program can help them provide healthy local foods and benefit the local economy.”
Since 2014, the Local Foods, Local Places program has provided assistance to 137 communities across the country.
Communities Selected for 2024 Local Foods, Local Places Program Technical Assistance
EPA Region 5
The City of Wellston, Ohio, has proposed a centrally located downtown open-air market. Reutilizing a vacant city-owned lot that was originally the industrial Milton Coal and Furnace Company site, the new market would improve residents’ access to healthy food options. It complements local efforts to develop more complete streets and bike path networks, an Ohio Department of Transportation grant for streetscape improvements to better accommodate people with disabilities, and renovation of the old train depot as a community center.
“This project will not only benefit the citizens of Wellston, but potentially the entirety of Jackson and Vinton Counties,” said Mindy Barry-Eisnaugle, Administrative Assistant for the City of Wellston. “This will assist in our downtown revitalization and tourism efforts, all while providing our residents with healthier access to healthier food options and recreational opportunities.”
“Access to fresh, quality food is essential to good health, and supporting locally grown food options can help to reduce pollution, including greenhouse gas emissions,” said Vicki Arroyo, EPA Associate Administrator for Policy. “Our Local Foods, Local Places program provides technical assistance with proven strategies to help communities address their nutritional needs and economic development and environmental goals.”
Through this assistance, each community will pursue their local project planning goals:
The City of Wellston, Ohio has proposed a centrally located downtown open-air market reutilizing a vacant city-owned lot.
Braxton County, West Virginia is working with the town of Sutton to expand plans for its farmers market and transform a two-acre Main Street space.
The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania plans to engage residents and stakeholders to reimagine the Carrick Neighborhood Farmers Market.
Turner Station in Baltimore County, Maryland intends to create more opportunities for healthy food access through a Turner Station food access and aggregation plan.
The town of Spring City, Tennessee plans to improve access to local foods, with new community gardens and a farmers’ market to address priority health challenges such as obesity.
The Rabbit Valley Farmers Market, Inc. in Ringgold, Georgia intends to improve community awareness about the market and related food programs on childhood health, nutrition education, improved food access and more.
More detailed descriptions of each community’s goals are included below.
In all six communities, EPA’s Office of Community Revitalization will convene federal, state, regional and local partners for two-day in-person workshops. This assistance will improve public health by increasing access to healthy foods for families and create jobs while protecting the environment. EPA’s Local Foods, Local Places program also helps to integrate food-system assets into communities, boosting local revitalization efforts and encouraging more active lifestyles, thereby improving overall quality of life, especially within marginalized communities. The program emphasizes sustainable food systems and expands economic opportunity, especially for local growers and value-added food processor entrepreneurs.
A pool of applicants from Appalachia was identified building upon a long-standing and productive relationship between EPA and ARC.
“Increasing the availability of locally grown foods not only provides healthy options for the residents of our Appalachian communities, but also spurs economic diversification across the region,” said Gayle Manchin, ARC Federal Co-Chair. “I’m heartened to know that ARC’s partnership with EPA will continue to support Appalachia’s longstanding agriculture industry and create new job opportunities.”
Three communities that will receive Local Foods, Local Places technical assistance (Ringgold, Georgia; Wellston, Ohio; Turner Station in Baltimore County, Maryland) are also participating in an innovative new pilot program through EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Program. The Superfund Redevelopment Program provides technical assistance to support holistic planning, reuse and redevelopment at or near Superfund sites. The program works with communities on project planning and design to utilize spaces outside Superfund site boundaries to address legacy environmental justice issues. This technical assistance will support communities seeking increased healthy food access, community connections and overall revitalization and economic recovery near designated Superfund sites.
“Communities that have faced long-term impacts from local Superfund sites may be ideal candidates for participation in the Local Foods, Local Places program,” said Cliff Villa, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Land and Emergency Management. “These three pilot workshops will help communities learn how the program can help them provide healthy local foods and benefit the local economy.”
Since 2014, the Local Foods, Local Places program has provided assistance to 137 communities across the country.
Communities Selected for 2024 Local Foods, Local Places Program Technical Assistance
EPA Region 5
The City of Wellston, Ohio, has proposed a centrally located downtown open-air market. Reutilizing a vacant city-owned lot that was originally the industrial Milton Coal and Furnace Company site, the new market would improve residents’ access to healthy food options. It complements local efforts to develop more complete streets and bike path networks, an Ohio Department of Transportation grant for streetscape improvements to better accommodate people with disabilities, and renovation of the old train depot as a community center.
“This project will not only benefit the citizens of Wellston, but potentially the entirety of Jackson and Vinton Counties,” said Mindy Barry-Eisnaugle, Administrative Assistant for the City of Wellston. “This will assist in our downtown revitalization and tourism efforts, all while providing our residents with healthier access to healthier food options and recreational opportunities.”
EPA cracks down on Louisville-based seller of automobile emissions ‘defeat devices’ that increase air pollution
LEXINGTON, KY (June 4, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with Thoroughbred Performance Products of Winchester, Kentucky (d/b/a Thoroughbred Diesel) in response to EPA claims that the company illegally sold thousands of aftermarket products that disable vehicles’ emissions control systems – known collectively as ‘defeat devices.’ As part of the settlement, Thoroughbred Diesel agreed to stop selling defeat devices and pay a civil penalty of $1,250,000.
“Cracking down on sellers of illegal defeat devices is a top enforcement priority for EPA,” said Acting EPA Region 4 Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle. “These illegal practices contribute to harmful air pollution and impede federal, state, and local efforts to implement air quality standards that protect public health. Emissions from mobile sources play an important role in EPA’s Southeastern region, and the use of these defeat devices hampers our ability to maintain compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.”
Thoroughbred Diesel also agreed to certify that it has stopped selling devices that disable vehicle emission controls and to remove from its webpages and social media accounts all advertisements, photos, videos, and information that relates to performing tampering and/or selling, offering to sell, and/or installing defeat devices.
EPA requires emission controls on vehicles to reduce the amount of air pollutants emitted and their harmful effects, but aftermarket defeat devices negate those controls. One EPA study found that known sales of defeat devices for certain diesel trucks between 2009 and 2020 resulted in more than 570,000 tons of excess nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 5,000 tons of excess particulate matter (PM) over the lifetime of the trucks. These are pollutants that have serious health effects and are known to trigger or exacerbate asthma attacks. Respiratory issues like asthma disproportionately affect families, especially children, living in underserved communities overburdened by pollution.
Stopping aftermarket defeat devices for vehicles and engines, like those sold by Thoroughbred Diesel, is a top priority for EPA.
Learn more: EPA’s efforts to stop the sale of illegal defeat devices
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“Cracking down on sellers of illegal defeat devices is a top enforcement priority for EPA,” said Acting EPA Region 4 Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle. “These illegal practices contribute to harmful air pollution and impede federal, state, and local efforts to implement air quality standards that protect public health. Emissions from mobile sources play an important role in EPA’s Southeastern region, and the use of these defeat devices hampers our ability to maintain compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.”
Thoroughbred Diesel also agreed to certify that it has stopped selling devices that disable vehicle emission controls and to remove from its webpages and social media accounts all advertisements, photos, videos, and information that relates to performing tampering and/or selling, offering to sell, and/or installing defeat devices.
EPA requires emission controls on vehicles to reduce the amount of air pollutants emitted and their harmful effects, but aftermarket defeat devices negate those controls. One EPA study found that known sales of defeat devices for certain diesel trucks between 2009 and 2020 resulted in more than 570,000 tons of excess nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 5,000 tons of excess particulate matter (PM) over the lifetime of the trucks. These are pollutants that have serious health effects and are known to trigger or exacerbate asthma attacks. Respiratory issues like asthma disproportionately affect families, especially children, living in underserved communities overburdened by pollution.
Stopping aftermarket defeat devices for vehicles and engines, like those sold by Thoroughbred Diesel, is a top priority for EPA.
Learn more: EPA’s efforts to stop the sale of illegal defeat devices
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EPA Announces More Than $3.4 Million in Brownfield Grants to Rehabilitate and Revitalize Communities in Puerto Rico
Furthering its investments in Puerto Rico’s communities, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced five selectees to receive over $3.4 million to assess and clean up brownfield sites in Puerto Rico while advancing environmental justice. These investments through EPA’s Brownfields programs will help transform polluted, vacant, and abandoned properties into community assets, while creating good jobs and spurring economic revitalization in overburdened communities.
EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe, Deputy Assistant Administrator Cliff Villa and Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia announced the selections at the Río Piedras Farmers Market with local community leaders.
“Today marks a pivotal moment for Puerto Rico as we channel historic investment from the President’s Investing in America agenda towards the swift assessment and cleanup of sites that have burdened communities for far too long,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “These funds, a significant portion of which stem from the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, equip Puerto Rican communities with the resources to convert polluted lands into beacons of progress and optimism. It’s a commitment to not only revitalize these areas but to also foster a legacy of health, prosperity, and environmental stewardship for generations to come.”
“The Brownfields program is a powerful tool that helps communities in Puerto Rico address local inequities by providing a means to revitalize abandoned properties and promote environmental health, economic growth, and job creation,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “This new funding gives the program a huge shot in the arm – with a historic $1.5 billion dollars that will be leveraged to make a real and lasting on-the-ground difference for communities across the country.”
The following organizations in Puerto Rico have been selected to receive EPA Brownfields funding:
Asociación de Residentes de La Margarita, Salinas, PR has been selected to receive more than $401,000 to inventory, prioritize and assess sites in the La Margarita neighborhood of Salinas. The funding will support nine initial assessments and up to 10 detailed assessments that include sampling. Funds also will be used to develop six cleanup and reuse plans and to engage the community. The La Margarita neighborhood in Salinas includes a 7.9-acre former industrial site, a 6-acre former multifamily residential complex, a former supermarket, an abandoned residential property, and a former hospital.
Barceloneta, PR has been selected to receive $500,000 to inventory, prioritize and assess sites in Barceloneta’s Northern District. The funding will support up to 11 initial and second detailed assessments including sampling. Grant funds also will be used to develop up to 10 cleanup and reuse plans and to engage the community. Barceloneta’s Northern District includes an abandoned hardware store, a former hospital, a 10-acre vacant business incubator, a 4.7-acre former recreation center, and a 3.2-acre vacant clothing manufacturing building.
Fideicomiso Para el Desarrollo de Rio Piedras, San Juan, PR has been selected to receive $1,000,000 to inventory, prioritize, assess and clean up sites in the Rio Piedras Urban Center in the City of San Juan. Funds will support 13 initial assessments and one detailed assessment that includes sampling. Grant funds also will be used to develop six cleanup plans, clean up the 2.6-acre Colegio La Milagrosa site, and engage the community. The Colegio La Milagrosa site is a former school facility that includes 14 buildings and is known to be contaminated. Other priority sites include a vacant former theater that sustained hurricane damage and a vacant lot adjacent to a residential neighborhood.
Isabela, PR has been selected the to receive $500,000 to inventory, prioritize and assess sites in Isabela’s Central District. The funding will support 12 initial assessments and up to 11 detailed assessments that include sampling. Grant funds also will be used to develop up to 10 cleanup plans. Priority sites in Isabela’s Central District include a 5.7-acre former industrial site, a 7-acre former paper manufacturer, two former school buildings, and a 14-acre vacant commercial site adjacent to a residential neighborhood.
Naranjito, PR has selected to receive $1,000,000 to conduct 11 initial assessments and 11 detailed assessments that include sampling of sites in Naranjito’s Mountain District. The funding will also support six cleanup plans and six remediation plans. Grant funds also will be used to clean up five of the priority sites and engage the community. Priority sites include a 0.6-acre former hospital, a 0.3-acre closed gas station located on the banks of the La Plata River, a 27- acre community that lacks proper infrastructure, and two vacant and deteriorating school buildings.
Many communities that are under economic stress, particularly those located in areas that have experienced long periods of disinvestment, lack the resources needed to initiate brownfield cleanup and redevelopment projects. As brownfield sites are transformed into community assets, they attract jobs, promote economic revitalization and transform communities into sustainable and environmentally just places.
Thanks to the historic $1.5 billion boost from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA’s Brownfields Program is helping more communities than ever before begin to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by brownfields and stimulate economic opportunity, and environmental revitalization in historically overburdened communities.
EPA’s Brownfields Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative which set a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. The Brownfields Program strives to meet this commitment and advance environmental justice and equity considerations in all aspects of its work. Approximately 86% of the MAC and RLF Supplemental program applications selected to receive funding proposed to work in areas that include disadvantaged communities.
Additional Background:
EPA has selected these organizations to receive funding to address and support the reuse of brownfield sites to address the health, economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by brownfields. EPA anticipates making all the awards announced today once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.7 billion in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. Prior to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this program made approximately $60 million available each year. Thanks to the President’s historic investments in America through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA has now increased that yearly investment nearly 400 percent. More than half of the funding available for this grant cycle (approximately $160 million) comes from the historic $1.5 billion investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This investment has also allowed the MAC grants’ maximum award amounts to increase significantly from $500,000 to a new maximum of $5 million per award.
To see the list of the FY 2024 Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup applicants selected for funding visit EPA’s FY 2024 Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup Applicants webpage.
To see the list of RLF Supplemental funding recipients visit EPA’s FY 2024 Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup Applicants webpage.
To learn more about RLF Technical Assistance grant recipient visit EPA’s Brownfields Grow America webpage.
For more information on EPA’s Brownfields Program visit EPA’s Brownfields webpage.
Follow EPA Region 2 on X and visit our Facebook page. For more information about EPA Region 2, visit our website.
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EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe, Deputy Assistant Administrator Cliff Villa and Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia announced the selections at the Río Piedras Farmers Market with local community leaders.
“Today marks a pivotal moment for Puerto Rico as we channel historic investment from the President’s Investing in America agenda towards the swift assessment and cleanup of sites that have burdened communities for far too long,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “These funds, a significant portion of which stem from the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, equip Puerto Rican communities with the resources to convert polluted lands into beacons of progress and optimism. It’s a commitment to not only revitalize these areas but to also foster a legacy of health, prosperity, and environmental stewardship for generations to come.”
“The Brownfields program is a powerful tool that helps communities in Puerto Rico address local inequities by providing a means to revitalize abandoned properties and promote environmental health, economic growth, and job creation,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “This new funding gives the program a huge shot in the arm – with a historic $1.5 billion dollars that will be leveraged to make a real and lasting on-the-ground difference for communities across the country.”
The following organizations in Puerto Rico have been selected to receive EPA Brownfields funding:
Asociación de Residentes de La Margarita, Salinas, PR has been selected to receive more than $401,000 to inventory, prioritize and assess sites in the La Margarita neighborhood of Salinas. The funding will support nine initial assessments and up to 10 detailed assessments that include sampling. Funds also will be used to develop six cleanup and reuse plans and to engage the community. The La Margarita neighborhood in Salinas includes a 7.9-acre former industrial site, a 6-acre former multifamily residential complex, a former supermarket, an abandoned residential property, and a former hospital.
Barceloneta, PR has been selected to receive $500,000 to inventory, prioritize and assess sites in Barceloneta’s Northern District. The funding will support up to 11 initial and second detailed assessments including sampling. Grant funds also will be used to develop up to 10 cleanup and reuse plans and to engage the community. Barceloneta’s Northern District includes an abandoned hardware store, a former hospital, a 10-acre vacant business incubator, a 4.7-acre former recreation center, and a 3.2-acre vacant clothing manufacturing building.
Fideicomiso Para el Desarrollo de Rio Piedras, San Juan, PR has been selected to receive $1,000,000 to inventory, prioritize, assess and clean up sites in the Rio Piedras Urban Center in the City of San Juan. Funds will support 13 initial assessments and one detailed assessment that includes sampling. Grant funds also will be used to develop six cleanup plans, clean up the 2.6-acre Colegio La Milagrosa site, and engage the community. The Colegio La Milagrosa site is a former school facility that includes 14 buildings and is known to be contaminated. Other priority sites include a vacant former theater that sustained hurricane damage and a vacant lot adjacent to a residential neighborhood.
Isabela, PR has been selected the to receive $500,000 to inventory, prioritize and assess sites in Isabela’s Central District. The funding will support 12 initial assessments and up to 11 detailed assessments that include sampling. Grant funds also will be used to develop up to 10 cleanup plans. Priority sites in Isabela’s Central District include a 5.7-acre former industrial site, a 7-acre former paper manufacturer, two former school buildings, and a 14-acre vacant commercial site adjacent to a residential neighborhood.
Naranjito, PR has selected to receive $1,000,000 to conduct 11 initial assessments and 11 detailed assessments that include sampling of sites in Naranjito’s Mountain District. The funding will also support six cleanup plans and six remediation plans. Grant funds also will be used to clean up five of the priority sites and engage the community. Priority sites include a 0.6-acre former hospital, a 0.3-acre closed gas station located on the banks of the La Plata River, a 27- acre community that lacks proper infrastructure, and two vacant and deteriorating school buildings.
Many communities that are under economic stress, particularly those located in areas that have experienced long periods of disinvestment, lack the resources needed to initiate brownfield cleanup and redevelopment projects. As brownfield sites are transformed into community assets, they attract jobs, promote economic revitalization and transform communities into sustainable and environmentally just places.
Thanks to the historic $1.5 billion boost from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA’s Brownfields Program is helping more communities than ever before begin to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by brownfields and stimulate economic opportunity, and environmental revitalization in historically overburdened communities.
EPA’s Brownfields Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative which set a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. The Brownfields Program strives to meet this commitment and advance environmental justice and equity considerations in all aspects of its work. Approximately 86% of the MAC and RLF Supplemental program applications selected to receive funding proposed to work in areas that include disadvantaged communities.
Additional Background:
EPA has selected these organizations to receive funding to address and support the reuse of brownfield sites to address the health, economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by brownfields. EPA anticipates making all the awards announced today once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.7 billion in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. Prior to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this program made approximately $60 million available each year. Thanks to the President’s historic investments in America through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA has now increased that yearly investment nearly 400 percent. More than half of the funding available for this grant cycle (approximately $160 million) comes from the historic $1.5 billion investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This investment has also allowed the MAC grants’ maximum award amounts to increase significantly from $500,000 to a new maximum of $5 million per award.
To see the list of the FY 2024 Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup applicants selected for funding visit EPA’s FY 2024 Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup Applicants webpage.
To see the list of RLF Supplemental funding recipients visit EPA’s FY 2024 Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup Applicants webpage.
To learn more about RLF Technical Assistance grant recipient visit EPA’s Brownfields Grow America webpage.
For more information on EPA’s Brownfields Program visit EPA’s Brownfields webpage.
Follow EPA Region 2 on X and visit our Facebook page. For more information about EPA Region 2, visit our website.
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EPA penalizes Murfreesboro-based seller of automobile ‘defeat devices’
NASHVILLE, TENN. (June 4, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has fined an automotive aftermarket parts distributor based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, for allegedly selling illegal “defeat devices” designed to render automobile emission controls inoperative, in violation of the federal Clean Air Act.
Full Force Diesel Performance, Inc. (FFDP), paid $525,438 in civil penalties to settle the claims brought by the EPA. Over a period of two years, FFDP sold at least 1,719 aftermarket defeat devices, including 406 exhaust emission control delete hardware kits, 337 exhaust gas recirculation delete kits, 21 throttle valve delete hardware kits, and 955 tuning products.
“Cracking down on sellers of illegal defeat devices is a top enforcement priority for EPA,” said acting Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle. “These illegal practices contribute to harmful air pollution and impede federal, state, and local efforts to implement air quality standards that protect public health. Emissions from mobile sources play a particularly important role in EPA’s Southeastern region, and the use of these defeat devices hampers our ability to maintain compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.”
As part of the settlement, FFDP agreed to certify that they have stopped selling devices that disable vehicle emission controls and removed from their webpages and social media accounts all advertisements, photos, videos, and information that relates to performing tampering and/or selling, offering to sell, and/or installing defeat devices.
Tampering with vehicle engines, including installation of aftermarket defeat devices intended to bypass manufacturer emission controls, results in significantly higher releases of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, both of which contribute to serious public health problems in the United States. These problems include premature mortality, aggravation of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, aggravation of existing asthma, acute respiratory symptoms, chronic bronchitis, and decreased lung function. Numerous studies also link diesel exhaust to increased incidence of lung cancer.
Stopping aftermarket defeat devices for vehicles and engines is a top priority for EPA.
Learn more: EPA’s efforts to stop the sale of illegal defeat devices
###
Full Force Diesel Performance, Inc. (FFDP), paid $525,438 in civil penalties to settle the claims brought by the EPA. Over a period of two years, FFDP sold at least 1,719 aftermarket defeat devices, including 406 exhaust emission control delete hardware kits, 337 exhaust gas recirculation delete kits, 21 throttle valve delete hardware kits, and 955 tuning products.
“Cracking down on sellers of illegal defeat devices is a top enforcement priority for EPA,” said acting Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle. “These illegal practices contribute to harmful air pollution and impede federal, state, and local efforts to implement air quality standards that protect public health. Emissions from mobile sources play a particularly important role in EPA’s Southeastern region, and the use of these defeat devices hampers our ability to maintain compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.”
As part of the settlement, FFDP agreed to certify that they have stopped selling devices that disable vehicle emission controls and removed from their webpages and social media accounts all advertisements, photos, videos, and information that relates to performing tampering and/or selling, offering to sell, and/or installing defeat devices.
Tampering with vehicle engines, including installation of aftermarket defeat devices intended to bypass manufacturer emission controls, results in significantly higher releases of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, both of which contribute to serious public health problems in the United States. These problems include premature mortality, aggravation of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, aggravation of existing asthma, acute respiratory symptoms, chronic bronchitis, and decreased lung function. Numerous studies also link diesel exhaust to increased incidence of lung cancer.
Stopping aftermarket defeat devices for vehicles and engines is a top priority for EPA.
Learn more: EPA’s efforts to stop the sale of illegal defeat devices
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La EPA anuncia más de $3.4 millones en subvenciones Brownfields para rehabilitar y revitalizar comunidades en Puerto Rico
NUEVA YORK – Con el fin de promover sus inversiones en las comunidades de Puerto Rico, la Agencia Federal de Protección Ambiental de Estados Unidos (EPA) anunció cinco seleccionados que recibirán más de $3.4 millones para evaluar y limpiar terrenos de Brownfields en Puerto Rico, avanzando así la justicia ambiental. Estas inversiones a través de los programas de Brownfields de la EPA ayudarán a transformar propiedades contaminadas, vacantes y abandonadas en bienes comunitarios, creando a la vez buenos empleos y estimulando la revitalización económica en comunidades agobiadas por la contaminación.
La subadministradora de la EPA, Janet McCabe, el subadministrador adjunto, Cliff Villa, y la administradora regional, Lisa F. García, anunciaron las selecciones en la Plaza del Mercado, en el casco de Río Piedras con líderes de la comunidad local.
“Hoy es un momento crucial para Puerto Rico, ya que canalizamos una inversión histórica de la agenda del Presidente Invertir en América hacia la rápida evaluación y limpieza de los sitios que han sido una carga para las comunidades durante demasiado tiempo”, señaló subadministradora de la EPA, Janet McCabe. “Estos fondos, una parte significativa de los cuales proceden de la histórica Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructuras, dotan a las comunidades puertorriqueñas de los recursos necesarios para convertir las tierras contaminadas en faros de progreso y optimismo. Es un compromiso no sólo para revitalizar estas zonas, sino también para fomentar un legado de salud, prosperidad y protección del medio ambiente para las generaciones venideras.”
“El programa de Brownfields es una herramienta poderosa que ayuda a las comunidades en Puerto Rico a atender las desigualdades locales al proporcionar un medio para revitalizar propiedades abandonadas y promover la salud ambiental, el crecimiento económico y la creación de empleos”, indicó la administradora regional de la EPA Lisa F. García. “Este nuevo financiamiento le da al programa una excelente inyección, con una cifra histórica de $1,500 millones que se aprovecharán para marcar una diferencia real y duradera para las comunidades de todo el país.”
Se seleccionaron a las siguientes organizaciones en Puerto Rico para recibir fondos de Brownfields de la EPA:
La Asociación de Residentes de La Margarita, Salinas, Puerto Rico ha sido seleccionada para recibir más de $401,000 para hacer un inventario, dar prioridad y hacer evaluaciones ambientales en lugares del vecindario La Margarita de Salinas. Los fondos apoyarán nueve evaluaciones iniciales y hasta 10 evaluaciones detalladas que incluyen muestreo. Los fondos también se utilizarán para desarrollar seis planes de limpieza y reutilización y para involucrar a la comunidad. El vecindario de La Margarita en Salinas incluye un lugar industrial antiguo de 7.9 acres, un complejo antiguo residencial multifamiliar de 6 acres, un antiguo supermercado, una propiedad residencial abandonada y un antiguo hospital.
Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, fue seleccionad para recibir $500,000 para hacer un inventario, dar prioridad y hacer evaluaciones ambientales en lugares del distrito norte de Barceloneta. Estos fondos financiarán hasta 11 evaluaciones iniciales y segundas evaluaciones detalladas, que incluirán un muestreo. Los fondos de la subvención también se utilizarán para desarrollar hasta 10 planes de limpieza y reutilización y para involucrar a la comunidad. El distrito norte de Barceloneta incluye una ferretería abandonada, un antiguo hospital, una incubadora de empresas vacante de 10 acres, un antiguo centro de recreación de 4.7 acres y un edificio vacante de fabricación de ropa de 3.2 acres.
El Fideicomiso Para el Desarrollo de Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico ha sido seleccionado para recibir $1,000,000 para crear un invenario, dar prioridad y hacer evaluaciones ambientales y limpiar sitios en Casco Urbano de Río Piedras de San Juan. Los fondos apoyarán 13 evaluaciones iniciales y una evaluación detallada que incluye muestreo. Los fondos de la subvención también se utilizarán para desarrollar seis planes de limpieza, limpiar el sitio de 2.6 acres del Colegio La Milagrosa e involucrar a la comunidad. El Colegio La Milagrosa fungía como escuela y cuenta con 14 edificios y se sabe que está contaminado. Otros lugares prioritarios incluyen un antiguo teatro que sufrió daños por el huracán y un terreno vacante adyacente a un vecindario residencial.
Isabela, Puerto Rico ha sido seleccionada para recibir $500,000 para hacer un inventario, crear prioridades y hacer evaluaciones ambientales en ciertos lugares del distrito central de Isabela. Los fondos costearán 12 evaluaciones iniciales y hasta 11 evaluaciones detalladas que incluyen muestreo; también se desarrollarán hasta 10 planes de limpieza. Los lugares prioritarios en el distrito central de Isabela incluyen una antigua área industrial de 5.7 acres, una antigua fábrica de papel de 7 acres, dos edificios escolares antiguos y un lugar comercial vacante de 14 acres adyacente a un vecindario residencial.
Naranjito, Puerto Rico fue seleccionado para recibir $1,000,000 y llevar a cabo 11 evaluaciones iniciales y 11 evaluaciones detalladas que incluyen el muestreo de lugares en el distrito de la montaña de Naranjito. Los fondos también apoyarán seis planes de limpieza y seis planes de acción correctiva. Los fondos de la subvención también se utilizarán para limpiar cinco de los sitios prioritarios e involucrar a la comunidad. Los sitios prioritarios incluyen un antiguo hospital de 0.6 acres, una gasolinera cerrada de 0.3 acres ubicada a orillas del río La Plata, una comunidad de 27 acres que carece de infraestructura adecuada y dos edificios escolares vacíos y deteriorados.
Muchas comunidades que están bajo presión económica, particularmente aquellas ubicadas en áreas que han experimentado largos periodos de desinversión, carecen de los recursos necesarios para iniciar proyectos de limpieza y reurbanización de terrenos de Brownfield. A medida que los terrenos de Brownfield se convierten en bienes comunitarios, atraen empleos, promueven la revitalización económica y transforman las comunidades en lugares sostenibles y ambientalmente justos.
Gracias al histórico impulso de $1,500 millones de la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura del presidente Biden, el Programa de Brownfields de la EPA ayuda a más comunidades, como nunca antes, a poder comenzar a luchar contra los desafíos económicos, sociales y ambientales causados por las zonas industriales abandonadas y estimular las oportunidades económicas y la revitalización ambiental en comunidades históricamente agobiadas por estos retos.
El Programa de Brownfields de la EPA adelanta la Iniciativa Justice40 del president Biden que estableció el objetivo de que el 40% de los beneficios generales de ciertas inversiones federales fluyan a las comunidades desventajadas que se ven marginadas por la falta de inversión y agobiadas por la contaminación. El Programa de Brownfields se esfuerza por cumplir con este compromiso y promover la justicia ambiental y las consideraciones de equidad en todos los aspectos de su trabajo. Aproximadamente el 86% de las solicitudes de los programas suplementarios de multiuso, evaluación y acción correctiva (MAC, por sus siglas en inglés) y subvenciones de fondos de préstamos rotativos (RLF, siglas en inglés) seleccionadas para recibir fondos propusieron trabajar en áreas que incluyen comunidades desventajadas.
Antecedentes adicionales:
La EPA seleccionó estas organizaciones a fin de recibir fondos para abordar y apoyar la reutilización de terrenos de Brownfields con el objetivo de enfrentar los desafíos de salud, económicos, sociales y ambientales causados por los terrenos de Brownfields. La EPA prevé que se otorgarán todos los premios anunciados hoy una vez que se cumplan todos los requisitos legales y administrativos.
El Programa de Brownfields de la EPA comenzó en 1995 y ha aportado casi $2,700 millones en subvenciones destinados a evaluar y tomar acción correctiva en propiedades contaminadas y poder devolver a estas su uso productivo. Antes de la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura, este programa ofrecía aproximadamente $60 millones cada año. Gracias a las inversiones históricas del presidente en Estados Unidos, la EPA ha aumentado esa inversión anual casi en un 400%. Más de la mitad de los fondos disponibles para este ciclo de subvenciones (aproximadamente $160 millones) provienen de la inversión histórica de $1,500 millones de la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura del presidente Biden. Esta inversión también permite que los montos máximos de adjudicación de las subvenciones MAC aumenten significativamente de $500,000 a un nuevo máximo de $5 millones por adjudicación.
Para ver la lista de los solicitantes de fondos para multiuso, evaluación y acción correctiva del año fiscal 2024 seleccionados para recibir fondos, visite la página web Solicitantes de fondos multiuso, evaluación y acción correctiva (MAC) del año fiscal 2024 de la EPA.
Para ver la lista de beneficiarios de fondos suplementarios de RLF, visite la página web Solicitantes de subvenciones de fondos de préstamos rotativos del año fiscal 2024 de la EPA.
Para obtener más información sobre los beneficiarios de la subvención de Asistencia Técnica de RFL, visite la página web Brownfields Grow America de la EPA.
Para obtener más información sobre el Programa de Brownfields de la EPA, visite la página web Brownfields de la EPA.
Siga a la Región 2 de la EPA en X y visite nuestra página en Facebook. Para obtener más información sobre la Región 2 de la EPA, visite nuestro sitio web.
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La subadministradora de la EPA, Janet McCabe, el subadministrador adjunto, Cliff Villa, y la administradora regional, Lisa F. García, anunciaron las selecciones en la Plaza del Mercado, en el casco de Río Piedras con líderes de la comunidad local.
“Hoy es un momento crucial para Puerto Rico, ya que canalizamos una inversión histórica de la agenda del Presidente Invertir en América hacia la rápida evaluación y limpieza de los sitios que han sido una carga para las comunidades durante demasiado tiempo”, señaló subadministradora de la EPA, Janet McCabe. “Estos fondos, una parte significativa de los cuales proceden de la histórica Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructuras, dotan a las comunidades puertorriqueñas de los recursos necesarios para convertir las tierras contaminadas en faros de progreso y optimismo. Es un compromiso no sólo para revitalizar estas zonas, sino también para fomentar un legado de salud, prosperidad y protección del medio ambiente para las generaciones venideras.”
“El programa de Brownfields es una herramienta poderosa que ayuda a las comunidades en Puerto Rico a atender las desigualdades locales al proporcionar un medio para revitalizar propiedades abandonadas y promover la salud ambiental, el crecimiento económico y la creación de empleos”, indicó la administradora regional de la EPA Lisa F. García. “Este nuevo financiamiento le da al programa una excelente inyección, con una cifra histórica de $1,500 millones que se aprovecharán para marcar una diferencia real y duradera para las comunidades de todo el país.”
Se seleccionaron a las siguientes organizaciones en Puerto Rico para recibir fondos de Brownfields de la EPA:
La Asociación de Residentes de La Margarita, Salinas, Puerto Rico ha sido seleccionada para recibir más de $401,000 para hacer un inventario, dar prioridad y hacer evaluaciones ambientales en lugares del vecindario La Margarita de Salinas. Los fondos apoyarán nueve evaluaciones iniciales y hasta 10 evaluaciones detalladas que incluyen muestreo. Los fondos también se utilizarán para desarrollar seis planes de limpieza y reutilización y para involucrar a la comunidad. El vecindario de La Margarita en Salinas incluye un lugar industrial antiguo de 7.9 acres, un complejo antiguo residencial multifamiliar de 6 acres, un antiguo supermercado, una propiedad residencial abandonada y un antiguo hospital.
Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, fue seleccionad para recibir $500,000 para hacer un inventario, dar prioridad y hacer evaluaciones ambientales en lugares del distrito norte de Barceloneta. Estos fondos financiarán hasta 11 evaluaciones iniciales y segundas evaluaciones detalladas, que incluirán un muestreo. Los fondos de la subvención también se utilizarán para desarrollar hasta 10 planes de limpieza y reutilización y para involucrar a la comunidad. El distrito norte de Barceloneta incluye una ferretería abandonada, un antiguo hospital, una incubadora de empresas vacante de 10 acres, un antiguo centro de recreación de 4.7 acres y un edificio vacante de fabricación de ropa de 3.2 acres.
El Fideicomiso Para el Desarrollo de Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico ha sido seleccionado para recibir $1,000,000 para crear un invenario, dar prioridad y hacer evaluaciones ambientales y limpiar sitios en Casco Urbano de Río Piedras de San Juan. Los fondos apoyarán 13 evaluaciones iniciales y una evaluación detallada que incluye muestreo. Los fondos de la subvención también se utilizarán para desarrollar seis planes de limpieza, limpiar el sitio de 2.6 acres del Colegio La Milagrosa e involucrar a la comunidad. El Colegio La Milagrosa fungía como escuela y cuenta con 14 edificios y se sabe que está contaminado. Otros lugares prioritarios incluyen un antiguo teatro que sufrió daños por el huracán y un terreno vacante adyacente a un vecindario residencial.
Isabela, Puerto Rico ha sido seleccionada para recibir $500,000 para hacer un inventario, crear prioridades y hacer evaluaciones ambientales en ciertos lugares del distrito central de Isabela. Los fondos costearán 12 evaluaciones iniciales y hasta 11 evaluaciones detalladas que incluyen muestreo; también se desarrollarán hasta 10 planes de limpieza. Los lugares prioritarios en el distrito central de Isabela incluyen una antigua área industrial de 5.7 acres, una antigua fábrica de papel de 7 acres, dos edificios escolares antiguos y un lugar comercial vacante de 14 acres adyacente a un vecindario residencial.
Naranjito, Puerto Rico fue seleccionado para recibir $1,000,000 y llevar a cabo 11 evaluaciones iniciales y 11 evaluaciones detalladas que incluyen el muestreo de lugares en el distrito de la montaña de Naranjito. Los fondos también apoyarán seis planes de limpieza y seis planes de acción correctiva. Los fondos de la subvención también se utilizarán para limpiar cinco de los sitios prioritarios e involucrar a la comunidad. Los sitios prioritarios incluyen un antiguo hospital de 0.6 acres, una gasolinera cerrada de 0.3 acres ubicada a orillas del río La Plata, una comunidad de 27 acres que carece de infraestructura adecuada y dos edificios escolares vacíos y deteriorados.
Muchas comunidades que están bajo presión económica, particularmente aquellas ubicadas en áreas que han experimentado largos periodos de desinversión, carecen de los recursos necesarios para iniciar proyectos de limpieza y reurbanización de terrenos de Brownfield. A medida que los terrenos de Brownfield se convierten en bienes comunitarios, atraen empleos, promueven la revitalización económica y transforman las comunidades en lugares sostenibles y ambientalmente justos.
Gracias al histórico impulso de $1,500 millones de la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura del presidente Biden, el Programa de Brownfields de la EPA ayuda a más comunidades, como nunca antes, a poder comenzar a luchar contra los desafíos económicos, sociales y ambientales causados por las zonas industriales abandonadas y estimular las oportunidades económicas y la revitalización ambiental en comunidades históricamente agobiadas por estos retos.
El Programa de Brownfields de la EPA adelanta la Iniciativa Justice40 del president Biden que estableció el objetivo de que el 40% de los beneficios generales de ciertas inversiones federales fluyan a las comunidades desventajadas que se ven marginadas por la falta de inversión y agobiadas por la contaminación. El Programa de Brownfields se esfuerza por cumplir con este compromiso y promover la justicia ambiental y las consideraciones de equidad en todos los aspectos de su trabajo. Aproximadamente el 86% de las solicitudes de los programas suplementarios de multiuso, evaluación y acción correctiva (MAC, por sus siglas en inglés) y subvenciones de fondos de préstamos rotativos (RLF, siglas en inglés) seleccionadas para recibir fondos propusieron trabajar en áreas que incluyen comunidades desventajadas.
Antecedentes adicionales:
La EPA seleccionó estas organizaciones a fin de recibir fondos para abordar y apoyar la reutilización de terrenos de Brownfields con el objetivo de enfrentar los desafíos de salud, económicos, sociales y ambientales causados por los terrenos de Brownfields. La EPA prevé que se otorgarán todos los premios anunciados hoy una vez que se cumplan todos los requisitos legales y administrativos.
El Programa de Brownfields de la EPA comenzó en 1995 y ha aportado casi $2,700 millones en subvenciones destinados a evaluar y tomar acción correctiva en propiedades contaminadas y poder devolver a estas su uso productivo. Antes de la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura, este programa ofrecía aproximadamente $60 millones cada año. Gracias a las inversiones históricas del presidente en Estados Unidos, la EPA ha aumentado esa inversión anual casi en un 400%. Más de la mitad de los fondos disponibles para este ciclo de subvenciones (aproximadamente $160 millones) provienen de la inversión histórica de $1,500 millones de la Ley Bipartidista de Infraestructura del presidente Biden. Esta inversión también permite que los montos máximos de adjudicación de las subvenciones MAC aumenten significativamente de $500,000 a un nuevo máximo de $5 millones por adjudicación.
Para ver la lista de los solicitantes de fondos para multiuso, evaluación y acción correctiva del año fiscal 2024 seleccionados para recibir fondos, visite la página web Solicitantes de fondos multiuso, evaluación y acción correctiva (MAC) del año fiscal 2024 de la EPA.
Para ver la lista de beneficiarios de fondos suplementarios de RLF, visite la página web Solicitantes de subvenciones de fondos de préstamos rotativos del año fiscal 2024 de la EPA.
Para obtener más información sobre los beneficiarios de la subvención de Asistencia Técnica de RFL, visite la página web Brownfields Grow America de la EPA.
Para obtener más información sobre el Programa de Brownfields de la EPA, visite la página web Brownfields de la EPA.
Siga a la Región 2 de la EPA en X y visite nuestra página en Facebook. Para obtener más información sobre la Región 2 de la EPA, visite nuestro sitio web.
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EPA Announces Partnership to Increase Access to Healthy Foods and Improve Public Health
WASHINGTON—Today, June 4, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission, announced the selection of six communities that will receive technical assistance through the Local Foods, Local Places program. This shared effort will develop local food systems to advance environmental protection, strengthen local economies and further sustainability goals.
“Access to fresh, quality food is essential to good health, and supporting locally grown food options can help to reduce pollution, including greenhouse gas emissions,” said Vicki Arroyo, EPA Associate Administrator for Policy. “Our Local Foods, Local Places program provides technical assistance with proven strategies to help communities address their nutritional needs and economic development and environmental goals.”
Through this assistance, each community will pursue their local project planning goals:
Braxton County, West Virginia is working with the town of Sutton to expand plans for its farmers market and transform a two-acre Main Street space.
The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania plans to engage residents and stakeholders to reimagine the Carrick Neighborhood Farmers Market.
Turner Station in Baltimore County, Maryland intends to create more opportunities for healthy food access through a Turner Station food access and aggregation plan.
The town of Spring City, Tennessee plans to improve access to local foods, with new community gardens and a farmers’ market to address priority health challenges such as obesity.
The Rabbit Valley Farmers Market, Inc. in Ringgold, Georgia intends to improve community awareness about the market and related food programs on childhood health, nutrition education, improved food access and more.
The City of Wellston, Ohio has proposed a centrally located downtown open-air market reutilizing a vacant city-owned lot.
More detailed descriptions of each community’s goals are included below.
In all six communities, EPA’s Office of Community Revitalization will convene federal, state, regional and local partners for two-day in-person workshops. This assistance will improve public health by increasing access to healthy foods for families and create jobs while protecting the environment. EPA’s Local Foods, Local Places program also helps to integrate food-system assets into communities, boosting local revitalization efforts and encouraging more active lifestyles, thereby improving overall quality of life, especially within marginalized communities. The program emphasizes sustainable food systems and expands economic opportunity, especially for local growers and value-added food processor entrepreneurs.
A pool of applicants from Appalachia was identified building upon a long-standing and productive relationship between EPA and ARC.
“Increasing the availability of locally grown foods not only provides healthy options for the residents of our Appalachian communities, but also spurs economic diversification across the region,” said Gayle Manchin, ARC Federal Co-Chair. “I’m heartened to know that ARC’s partnership with EPA will continue to support Appalachia’s longstanding agriculture industry and create new job opportunities.”
Three communities that will receive Local Foods, Local Places technical assistance (Ringgold, Georgia; Wellston, Ohio; Turner Station in Baltimore County, Maryland) are also participating in an innovative new pilot program through EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Program. The Superfund Redevelopment Program provides technical assistance to support holistic planning, reuse and redevelopment at or near Superfund sites. The program works with communities on project planning and design to utilize spaces outside Superfund site boundaries to address legacy environmental justice issues. This technical assistance will support communities seeking increased healthy food access, community connections and overall revitalization and economic recovery near designated Superfund sites.
“Communities that have faced long-term impacts from local Superfund sites may be ideal candidates for participation in the Local Foods, Local Places program,” said Cliff Villa, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Land and Emergency Management. “These three pilot workshops will help communities learn how the program can help them provide healthy local foods and benefit the local economy.”
Since 2014, the Local Foods, Local Places program has provided assistance to 137 communities across the country.
Communities Selected for 2024 Local Foods, Local Places Program Technical Assistance
EPA Region 3
The County of Braxton, West Virginia is working with the town of Sutton to expand its farmers market and transform a two-acre Main Street space, identified through a Brownfields assessment, into a mixed-use community building. The revitalized site would connect Sutton’s downtown with a trailhead to the new Elk River Rail Trail. The project coordinates with other efforts, including the Sutton Main Street program, ARC Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization Initiative grants and EPA Brownfield grant resources for land revitalization planning.
“This award will enable Sutton and Braxton County to develop a stronger, more robust plan to create a farm-to-market strategy. It will strengthen our capacity to develop a community-based food market and to increase access to healthy foods for our citizens,” said Lisa Godwin, Braxton County Commission President. “Local Foods, Local Places will help us expand local agriculture production, foster community engagement and enhance economic opportunities."
The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is seeking assistance to engage residents and stakeholders to reimagine the Carrick Neighborhood Farmers Market, located in a neighborhood facing several social and economic challenges. Local Foods, Local Places assistance will help ensure the new market meets the needs of the community and yields greater participation of residents. The effort will improve neighborhood access to healthy foods, support local growers, and provide a safe urban green space for community gatherings.
The site may also be utilized to support a local composting pilot program.
“The City of Pittsburgh is very excited for the opportunity to engage with EPA to wrap our arms around the Carrick Farmers Market and work with neighbors, our market vendors, and community partners to make this market a thriving asset in the community,” said Kathryn Vargas, Director, Department of Parks and Recreation. “We hope that this opportunity can serve as a model for community and stakeholder engagement for our other Neighborhood Farmers Markets.”
Turner Station in Baltimore County, Maryland is a predominantly African American neighborhood impacted by the Bear Creek Sediments Superfund site and most recently the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. In partnership with the Turner Station Conservation Teams, the community seeks to create more opportunities for healthy food access through a Turner Station food access and aggregation plan. This includes redevelopment of Logan Village Shopping Center, which previously housed a neighborhood grocery store, and expanding food production by implementing a watering system for the Turner Station community garden.
The effort aligns with a larger commitment to address community needs by elevating residents' voices to county and state leaders, a key goal even before the bridge collapse focused attention on the community.
“It has been almost 5 years since Turner Station lost our closest grocery store and the community was classified as food insecure,” said Gloria E. Nelson, President of Turner Station Conservation Teams, Inc. “Ensuring our residents have access to fresh, healthy food is imperative, so we are excited by the opportunities the partnership with EPA’s Local Foods, Local Places program will provide, in elevating resident voices and advocating for critical community infrastructure.”
EPA Region 4
The town of Spring City, Tennessee, plans to bring together several local groups to improve access to local foods, with new community gardens and a farmers’ market to address priority health challenges such as obesity. The work will be coordinated with downtown revitalization planning efforts to create community gardens as green infrastructure, to mitigate flooding risks and promote community gathering places.
“The Town of Spring City is proud to have been selected to be part of the Local Foods, Local Places program,” said Stephania Motes, City Manager. “Our focus will be to create a farmers market and a community garden to help meet community needs as well as to boost our downtown revitalization efforts and to Agri-tourism in the area.”
The Rabbit Valley Farmers Market, Inc. in Ringgold, Georgia, envisions farmers markets not only as a place to purchase fresh local foods, support local agriculture and promote healthier lifestyles, but also as a community gathering place for socialization, celebration and connection. The farmer’s market is seeking to collaborate with a more diverse set of local partners to improve community awareness about the market and related food programs on childhood health, nutrition education, improved food access and utilizing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
Other local environmental education initiatives include composting, water conservation and community gardening. “My hope for this project is to create a more community-centered downtown and market, with a collective focus on health, wellbeing, environmental stewardship and service to others,” said Samantha Leslie, Executive Director of the Rabbit Valley Farmers Market.
EPA Region 5
The City of Wellston, Ohio, has proposed a centrally located downtown open-air market. Reutilizing a vacant city-owned lot that was originally the industrial Milton Coal and Furnace Company site, the new market would improve residents’ access to healthy food options. It complements local efforts to develop more complete streets and bike path networks, an Ohio Department of Transportation grant for streetscape improvements to better accommodate people with disabilities, and renovation of the old train depot as a community center.
“This project will not only benefit the citizens of Wellston, but potentially the entirety of Jackson and Vinton Counties,” said Mindy Barry-Eisnaugle, Administrative Assistant for the City of Wellston. “This will assist in our downtown revitalization and tourism efforts, all while providing our residents with healthier access to healthier food options and recreational opportunities.”
“Access to fresh, quality food is essential to good health, and supporting locally grown food options can help to reduce pollution, including greenhouse gas emissions,” said Vicki Arroyo, EPA Associate Administrator for Policy. “Our Local Foods, Local Places program provides technical assistance with proven strategies to help communities address their nutritional needs and economic development and environmental goals.”
Through this assistance, each community will pursue their local project planning goals:
Braxton County, West Virginia is working with the town of Sutton to expand plans for its farmers market and transform a two-acre Main Street space.
The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania plans to engage residents and stakeholders to reimagine the Carrick Neighborhood Farmers Market.
Turner Station in Baltimore County, Maryland intends to create more opportunities for healthy food access through a Turner Station food access and aggregation plan.
The town of Spring City, Tennessee plans to improve access to local foods, with new community gardens and a farmers’ market to address priority health challenges such as obesity.
The Rabbit Valley Farmers Market, Inc. in Ringgold, Georgia intends to improve community awareness about the market and related food programs on childhood health, nutrition education, improved food access and more.
The City of Wellston, Ohio has proposed a centrally located downtown open-air market reutilizing a vacant city-owned lot.
More detailed descriptions of each community’s goals are included below.
In all six communities, EPA’s Office of Community Revitalization will convene federal, state, regional and local partners for two-day in-person workshops. This assistance will improve public health by increasing access to healthy foods for families and create jobs while protecting the environment. EPA’s Local Foods, Local Places program also helps to integrate food-system assets into communities, boosting local revitalization efforts and encouraging more active lifestyles, thereby improving overall quality of life, especially within marginalized communities. The program emphasizes sustainable food systems and expands economic opportunity, especially for local growers and value-added food processor entrepreneurs.
A pool of applicants from Appalachia was identified building upon a long-standing and productive relationship between EPA and ARC.
“Increasing the availability of locally grown foods not only provides healthy options for the residents of our Appalachian communities, but also spurs economic diversification across the region,” said Gayle Manchin, ARC Federal Co-Chair. “I’m heartened to know that ARC’s partnership with EPA will continue to support Appalachia’s longstanding agriculture industry and create new job opportunities.”
Three communities that will receive Local Foods, Local Places technical assistance (Ringgold, Georgia; Wellston, Ohio; Turner Station in Baltimore County, Maryland) are also participating in an innovative new pilot program through EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Program. The Superfund Redevelopment Program provides technical assistance to support holistic planning, reuse and redevelopment at or near Superfund sites. The program works with communities on project planning and design to utilize spaces outside Superfund site boundaries to address legacy environmental justice issues. This technical assistance will support communities seeking increased healthy food access, community connections and overall revitalization and economic recovery near designated Superfund sites.
“Communities that have faced long-term impacts from local Superfund sites may be ideal candidates for participation in the Local Foods, Local Places program,” said Cliff Villa, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Land and Emergency Management. “These three pilot workshops will help communities learn how the program can help them provide healthy local foods and benefit the local economy.”
Since 2014, the Local Foods, Local Places program has provided assistance to 137 communities across the country.
Communities Selected for 2024 Local Foods, Local Places Program Technical Assistance
EPA Region 3
The County of Braxton, West Virginia is working with the town of Sutton to expand its farmers market and transform a two-acre Main Street space, identified through a Brownfields assessment, into a mixed-use community building. The revitalized site would connect Sutton’s downtown with a trailhead to the new Elk River Rail Trail. The project coordinates with other efforts, including the Sutton Main Street program, ARC Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization Initiative grants and EPA Brownfield grant resources for land revitalization planning.
“This award will enable Sutton and Braxton County to develop a stronger, more robust plan to create a farm-to-market strategy. It will strengthen our capacity to develop a community-based food market and to increase access to healthy foods for our citizens,” said Lisa Godwin, Braxton County Commission President. “Local Foods, Local Places will help us expand local agriculture production, foster community engagement and enhance economic opportunities."
The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is seeking assistance to engage residents and stakeholders to reimagine the Carrick Neighborhood Farmers Market, located in a neighborhood facing several social and economic challenges. Local Foods, Local Places assistance will help ensure the new market meets the needs of the community and yields greater participation of residents. The effort will improve neighborhood access to healthy foods, support local growers, and provide a safe urban green space for community gatherings.
The site may also be utilized to support a local composting pilot program.
“The City of Pittsburgh is very excited for the opportunity to engage with EPA to wrap our arms around the Carrick Farmers Market and work with neighbors, our market vendors, and community partners to make this market a thriving asset in the community,” said Kathryn Vargas, Director, Department of Parks and Recreation. “We hope that this opportunity can serve as a model for community and stakeholder engagement for our other Neighborhood Farmers Markets.”
Turner Station in Baltimore County, Maryland is a predominantly African American neighborhood impacted by the Bear Creek Sediments Superfund site and most recently the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. In partnership with the Turner Station Conservation Teams, the community seeks to create more opportunities for healthy food access through a Turner Station food access and aggregation plan. This includes redevelopment of Logan Village Shopping Center, which previously housed a neighborhood grocery store, and expanding food production by implementing a watering system for the Turner Station community garden.
The effort aligns with a larger commitment to address community needs by elevating residents' voices to county and state leaders, a key goal even before the bridge collapse focused attention on the community.
“It has been almost 5 years since Turner Station lost our closest grocery store and the community was classified as food insecure,” said Gloria E. Nelson, President of Turner Station Conservation Teams, Inc. “Ensuring our residents have access to fresh, healthy food is imperative, so we are excited by the opportunities the partnership with EPA’s Local Foods, Local Places program will provide, in elevating resident voices and advocating for critical community infrastructure.”
EPA Region 4
The town of Spring City, Tennessee, plans to bring together several local groups to improve access to local foods, with new community gardens and a farmers’ market to address priority health challenges such as obesity. The work will be coordinated with downtown revitalization planning efforts to create community gardens as green infrastructure, to mitigate flooding risks and promote community gathering places.
“The Town of Spring City is proud to have been selected to be part of the Local Foods, Local Places program,” said Stephania Motes, City Manager. “Our focus will be to create a farmers market and a community garden to help meet community needs as well as to boost our downtown revitalization efforts and to Agri-tourism in the area.”
The Rabbit Valley Farmers Market, Inc. in Ringgold, Georgia, envisions farmers markets not only as a place to purchase fresh local foods, support local agriculture and promote healthier lifestyles, but also as a community gathering place for socialization, celebration and connection. The farmer’s market is seeking to collaborate with a more diverse set of local partners to improve community awareness about the market and related food programs on childhood health, nutrition education, improved food access and utilizing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
Other local environmental education initiatives include composting, water conservation and community gardening. “My hope for this project is to create a more community-centered downtown and market, with a collective focus on health, wellbeing, environmental stewardship and service to others,” said Samantha Leslie, Executive Director of the Rabbit Valley Farmers Market.
EPA Region 5
The City of Wellston, Ohio, has proposed a centrally located downtown open-air market. Reutilizing a vacant city-owned lot that was originally the industrial Milton Coal and Furnace Company site, the new market would improve residents’ access to healthy food options. It complements local efforts to develop more complete streets and bike path networks, an Ohio Department of Transportation grant for streetscape improvements to better accommodate people with disabilities, and renovation of the old train depot as a community center.
“This project will not only benefit the citizens of Wellston, but potentially the entirety of Jackson and Vinton Counties,” said Mindy Barry-Eisnaugle, Administrative Assistant for the City of Wellston. “This will assist in our downtown revitalization and tourism efforts, all while providing our residents with healthier access to healthier food options and recreational opportunities.”
EPA Announces Settlement with Smith Foundry to Cease Furnace and Casting Operations within 12 Months and Pay $80,000
Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement with Smith Foundry to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at its iron foundry in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Within the next 12 months, the company will shut down its furnace and casting processes and convert to a metal finishing facility, which will drastically reduce emissions. The foundry will also pay an $80,000 penalty.
“Shutting down the furnace and casting operations is a win for this community, which has been historically disenfranchised and overburdened by pollution,” said EPA Regional Administrator Debra Shore. “East Phillips residents deserve to breathe clean air and to live in a healthy, thriving community.”
“The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency remains committed to ensuring clean air for all Minnesotans and working collaboratively with the EPA toward that goal,” said MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler. “This settlement is an important step toward protecting the health and well-being of residents in the East Phillips community. The MPCA remains invested in the community and will monitor, in partnership with the EPA, ongoing emissions from Smith Foundry and air quality in the East Phillips neighborhood to ensure compliance with state and federal laws. We will continue to engage with and communicate frequently with residents."
After an unannounced inspection in May 2023, EPA alleged Smith Foundry failed to properly operate its pollution control equipment and maintain required records. EPA also alleged the foundry exceeded particulate matter emission limits for its industrial process equipment and violated airborne particulate matter rules.
Under the terms of the settlement, Smith Foundry will:
Immediately shut down two of the foundry’s pouring and cooling lines.
Limit the total amount of liquid metal poured at the remaining lines to 2884 tons before they are shut down.
Permanently shut down the furnace, all remaining pouring/cooling lines, all mullers, and the shakeout system within the next 12 months.
Smith Foundry will also take measures to ensure its baghouses are properly monitored and operated, including installing continuous pressure drop monitors, recording equipment and a bag leak detection system on the main baghouse for the facility’s finishing operations. The foundry will develop and implement an updated operations and maintenance plan.
EPA has worked closely with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to improve air quality in the East Phillips community and ensure Smith Foundry’s compliance with the Clean Air Act. EPA will continue to work with MPCA to monitor the foundry and address other air quality concerns in Minneapolis.
For more information about the EPA’s enforcement program, visit the Agency’s website.
For more information on inspections and enforcement actions in your area, visit ECHO.
To report a suspected violation, visit ECHO.
“Shutting down the furnace and casting operations is a win for this community, which has been historically disenfranchised and overburdened by pollution,” said EPA Regional Administrator Debra Shore. “East Phillips residents deserve to breathe clean air and to live in a healthy, thriving community.”
“The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency remains committed to ensuring clean air for all Minnesotans and working collaboratively with the EPA toward that goal,” said MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler. “This settlement is an important step toward protecting the health and well-being of residents in the East Phillips community. The MPCA remains invested in the community and will monitor, in partnership with the EPA, ongoing emissions from Smith Foundry and air quality in the East Phillips neighborhood to ensure compliance with state and federal laws. We will continue to engage with and communicate frequently with residents."
After an unannounced inspection in May 2023, EPA alleged Smith Foundry failed to properly operate its pollution control equipment and maintain required records. EPA also alleged the foundry exceeded particulate matter emission limits for its industrial process equipment and violated airborne particulate matter rules.
Under the terms of the settlement, Smith Foundry will:
Immediately shut down two of the foundry’s pouring and cooling lines.
Limit the total amount of liquid metal poured at the remaining lines to 2884 tons before they are shut down.
Permanently shut down the furnace, all remaining pouring/cooling lines, all mullers, and the shakeout system within the next 12 months.
Smith Foundry will also take measures to ensure its baghouses are properly monitored and operated, including installing continuous pressure drop monitors, recording equipment and a bag leak detection system on the main baghouse for the facility’s finishing operations. The foundry will develop and implement an updated operations and maintenance plan.
EPA has worked closely with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to improve air quality in the East Phillips community and ensure Smith Foundry’s compliance with the Clean Air Act. EPA will continue to work with MPCA to monitor the foundry and address other air quality concerns in Minneapolis.
For more information about the EPA’s enforcement program, visit the Agency’s website.
For more information on inspections and enforcement actions in your area, visit ECHO.
To report a suspected violation, visit ECHO.