EPA Visits Brownfields Job Training Site in Pittsburgh; Highlights Conservation Work
PITTSBURGH (October 12, 2023) – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz visited the Beechview-Seldom Seen Greenway in Pittsburgh today to witness firsthand the work of Landforce, a land stewardship and workforce development organization.
EPA Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz stands with Brownfields Job Training Grant Program graduates.Landforce is one of two Allegheny County organizations selected by EPA for funding under its fiscal year 2023 Brownfields Job Training Grant competition. EPA selected Landforce and Auberle to each receive approximately $500,000 to recruit, train, and retain local, skilled individuals. The recruitments will prioritize unemployed or under-employed adults who have faced barriers to stable, family- sustaining employment.
“The Brownfields Job Training Grant Program not only improves communities, it has the power to change lives,” said EPA Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “Graduates develop the skills needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in the environmental field - a win across the board.”
Established in 2015, Landforce has received a total of $700,000 from two EPA brownfield remediation and workforce development multi-year grants to recruit and train adults with barriers to employment, using a rigorously designed curriculum that covers both hard and soft skills, combined with actual employment stewarding Pittsburgh's degraded lands.
In the past eight years, Landforce has trained 147 people and brought 126 of them on as crew members. In addition to this year’s job training grant, they are also the recipient of a $149,336 Solid Waste Infrastructure Grant, which will allow them to divert 625 tons of urban wood waste annually from landfills.
“We’re grateful for federal investments from our partners at US EPA for helping us turn a vision into a reality. With these funds, not only can we continue our current programming - we can now expand to year-round opportunities. In addition to job training, our portfolio will now include the full life cycle management of trees, diverting wood waste from landfills, and giving fallen trees new life,” said Ilyssa Manspeizer, Ph.D. Executive Director, Landforce.
Based in McKeesport, Auberle plans to train 130 students and place at least 95 in environmental jobs amongst their 130 employing partners and 100 referral agencies through the region. The training program includes 115 hours of instruction in 40-Hour HAZWOPER, 32-Hour Asbestos, Lead Renovation and Repair, Confined Space Entry, OSHA-10, Bloodborne Pathogens, and CPR/ First Aid. Students who complete the training will earn up to one state and seven federal certifications. Auberle is targeting students within Allegheny County, specifically chronically underemployed, unemployed, and at-risk individuals.
“Auberle’s Brownfields Job Training Program changes lives by putting local people to work in places that have been impacted by industry, helping to revitalize their own communities while lifting themselves and their families out of poverty. We are grateful to the EPA for providing this impactful funding,” said Abby Wolensky, Auberle’s Director of the Employment Institute.
"Witnessing the EPA Brownfields Job Training Grants unfold at the Beechview-Seldom Seen Greenway is symbolic of the transformative, hands-on environmental and employment work occurring in Pittsburgh. Organizations like Landforce and Auberle are making our communities stronger and more resilient. They're cleaning up our environment and, at the same time, giving people who need jobs the training they need to get them. It's about taking care of our neighborhoods and each other at the same time. This is not only a revitalization of our lands, but a direct investment in our people, providing them not just with jobs, but with careers that uplift them, their families, and our communities. Together, we're fixing our environment and giving people good, strong job skills for the future. What we're doing now in Allegheny County and all over the region will make things better for our kids and grandkids, and I'm excited to help heal our environment and our neighbors at the same time," said U.S. Congresswoman Summer Lee.
Background:
President Biden’s leadership and bipartisan Congressional action have delivered the single-largest investment in U.S. brownfields infrastructure ever through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which invests more than $1.5 billion over five years through EPA’s highly successful Brownfields Program. The Brownfields Jobs Training Program also advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40 percent of the benefits of certain government programs to disadvantaged communities.
The EPA’s Brownfields Job Training (JT) grant program is a unique employment and training program. The grants allow nonprofit and other eligible organizations to recruit, train, and retain a local, skilled workforce by prioritizing unemployed and under-employed, including low-income individuals living in areas impacted by solid and hazardous waste in environmental jobs. Students learn the skills and credentials needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in the environmental field, including brownfields assessment and cleanup. These jobs reduce environmental contamination and build more sustainable futures for communities. Communities have the flexibility to deliver eligible training that meets the local labor market demands of the environmental sector in their communities.
Since 1998, EPA has awarded 400 job training grants. With these grants, more than 20,600 individuals have completed training and over 15,300 individuals have been placed in careers related to land remediation and environmental health and safety.
Learn more on EPA’s Brownfields Program.
EPA Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz stands with Brownfields Job Training Grant Program graduates.
EPA Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz stands with Brownfields Job Training Grant Program graduates.Landforce is one of two Allegheny County organizations selected by EPA for funding under its fiscal year 2023 Brownfields Job Training Grant competition. EPA selected Landforce and Auberle to each receive approximately $500,000 to recruit, train, and retain local, skilled individuals. The recruitments will prioritize unemployed or under-employed adults who have faced barriers to stable, family- sustaining employment.
“The Brownfields Job Training Grant Program not only improves communities, it has the power to change lives,” said EPA Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “Graduates develop the skills needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in the environmental field - a win across the board.”
Established in 2015, Landforce has received a total of $700,000 from two EPA brownfield remediation and workforce development multi-year grants to recruit and train adults with barriers to employment, using a rigorously designed curriculum that covers both hard and soft skills, combined with actual employment stewarding Pittsburgh's degraded lands.
In the past eight years, Landforce has trained 147 people and brought 126 of them on as crew members. In addition to this year’s job training grant, they are also the recipient of a $149,336 Solid Waste Infrastructure Grant, which will allow them to divert 625 tons of urban wood waste annually from landfills.
“We’re grateful for federal investments from our partners at US EPA for helping us turn a vision into a reality. With these funds, not only can we continue our current programming - we can now expand to year-round opportunities. In addition to job training, our portfolio will now include the full life cycle management of trees, diverting wood waste from landfills, and giving fallen trees new life,” said Ilyssa Manspeizer, Ph.D. Executive Director, Landforce.
Based in McKeesport, Auberle plans to train 130 students and place at least 95 in environmental jobs amongst their 130 employing partners and 100 referral agencies through the region. The training program includes 115 hours of instruction in 40-Hour HAZWOPER, 32-Hour Asbestos, Lead Renovation and Repair, Confined Space Entry, OSHA-10, Bloodborne Pathogens, and CPR/ First Aid. Students who complete the training will earn up to one state and seven federal certifications. Auberle is targeting students within Allegheny County, specifically chronically underemployed, unemployed, and at-risk individuals.
“Auberle’s Brownfields Job Training Program changes lives by putting local people to work in places that have been impacted by industry, helping to revitalize their own communities while lifting themselves and their families out of poverty. We are grateful to the EPA for providing this impactful funding,” said Abby Wolensky, Auberle’s Director of the Employment Institute.
"Witnessing the EPA Brownfields Job Training Grants unfold at the Beechview-Seldom Seen Greenway is symbolic of the transformative, hands-on environmental and employment work occurring in Pittsburgh. Organizations like Landforce and Auberle are making our communities stronger and more resilient. They're cleaning up our environment and, at the same time, giving people who need jobs the training they need to get them. It's about taking care of our neighborhoods and each other at the same time. This is not only a revitalization of our lands, but a direct investment in our people, providing them not just with jobs, but with careers that uplift them, their families, and our communities. Together, we're fixing our environment and giving people good, strong job skills for the future. What we're doing now in Allegheny County and all over the region will make things better for our kids and grandkids, and I'm excited to help heal our environment and our neighbors at the same time," said U.S. Congresswoman Summer Lee.
Background:
President Biden’s leadership and bipartisan Congressional action have delivered the single-largest investment in U.S. brownfields infrastructure ever through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which invests more than $1.5 billion over five years through EPA’s highly successful Brownfields Program. The Brownfields Jobs Training Program also advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40 percent of the benefits of certain government programs to disadvantaged communities.
The EPA’s Brownfields Job Training (JT) grant program is a unique employment and training program. The grants allow nonprofit and other eligible organizations to recruit, train, and retain a local, skilled workforce by prioritizing unemployed and under-employed, including low-income individuals living in areas impacted by solid and hazardous waste in environmental jobs. Students learn the skills and credentials needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in the environmental field, including brownfields assessment and cleanup. These jobs reduce environmental contamination and build more sustainable futures for communities. Communities have the flexibility to deliver eligible training that meets the local labor market demands of the environmental sector in their communities.
Since 1998, EPA has awarded 400 job training grants. With these grants, more than 20,600 individuals have completed training and over 15,300 individuals have been placed in careers related to land remediation and environmental health and safety.
Learn more on EPA’s Brownfields Program.
EPA Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz stands with Brownfields Job Training Grant Program graduates.
Biden-Harris Administration Selects 24 Recipients to Receive Nearly $16 Million in Pollution Prevention Grants to Advance Environmental Justice
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of 24 recipients across the country that will collectively receive nearly $16 million in pollution prevention grants through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, a key pillar of Bidenomics. The funding, made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will support two grant programs for states and state-sponsored colleges to provide businesses with technical assistance to develop and adopt practices that prevent pollution at the source in local communities.“Achieving lasting environmental justice requires community-driven solutions boosted by federal resources,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “President Biden has secured historic levels of funding to address environmental harms in vulnerable communities under his Investing in America agenda. These dollars have supercharged our ability to empower a wide range of businesses from across the country to deploy solutions that prevent pollution while strengthening economic growth.”“All Americans should be able to live in communities that are free from the burdens of pollution,” said U.S. Senator Tom Carper (DE), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “While this has historically not always been the case, especially for many low-income, minority, and indigenous communities, the Biden Administration has and continues to prioritize solutions that address and prevent pollution across our country. After helping secure these environmental justice investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I’m excited to see communities receive much-needed federal funding to explore safer and more sustainable products that will boost public health while supporting economic opportunity.”The Environmental Justice in Communities grant program will provide pollution prevention technical assistance to businesses to improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities. The Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products grant program will assist businesses to increase the supply, demand, and use of safer and more sustainable products, such as those certified by EPA’s Safer Choice program, or that conform to EPA’s Recommendations for Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing.
The grant selections for these two programs include a diverse set of projects that will tackle pollution prevention at the community level. For example, two proposed projects involve working with food service providers in disadvantaged communities in Chicago and central Illinois, including restaurants, churches and soup kitchens, to increase the use of safer, more sustainable, and PFAS-free foodware. Projects in California and Minnesota will assist immigrant-owned nail salons in using safer products, including EPA Safer Choice-certified products. The California project will also assist Black-owned hair salons. And in Missouri and Alaska, technical assistance will be provided to the critical minerals mining industry to reduce air pollution, mine waste, and energy consumption in communities affected by mining.
EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
Ensuring greater availability and use of safer and more sustainable products can reduce harmful chemical exposures and their human health and the environmental impacts in disadvantaged communities and create a more sustainable and accessible marketplace. These efforts will continue to benefit businesses and communities across the nation by capturing what works and what can be adjusted in other communities. Recipients will share successful practices that are new or not widely known, as well as lessons learned, so that future businesses and communities can continue to innovate.
These grants will be fully funded upon being awarded. Individual grant awards may range from $100,000 to $800,000 for state- and city-level projects, or up to $1.2 million for multi-state projects over the funding period. EPA anticipates awarding the grants once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied. The list of selections can be found below, and the proposed summaries of proposed grantee projects can be found on EPA’s Pollution Prevention website.List of Grantees for Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice in Communities
Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts: Lowell
California: California Department of Public Health
Illinois: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Indiana: Indiana Department of Environmental Management
Kansas: Kansas State University
Louisiana: Southern University Agricultural Research & Extension Center
Minnesota: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Missouri: University of Missouri
New Jersey: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
North Carolina: East Carolina University
United States Virgin Islands: U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources
West Virginia: West Virginia University
List of Grantees for Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products
California: University of California: Los Angeles
District of Columbia: District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment
Hawaii: University of Hawaii
Illinois: University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Business and Financial Services
Illinois: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Maryland: Maryland Department of the Environment
Minnesota: University of Minnesota
Oregon: Portland State University
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Hershey Medical Center
South Carolina: Clemson University
Vermont: Vermont Department of Health
Washington: Washington Department of Ecology
Background:The United States generates millions of tons of pollution each year and spends billions of dollars per year controlling this pollution. Once in our environment, this pollution harms human and environmental health, which disproportionally impacts underserved communities. Preventing pollution at the source, also known as P2 or source reduction, rather than managing waste after it is produced, is an important part of the solution landscape, and advances a sustainable infrastructure that supports local economies while better protecting public health and the environment. P2 practices can reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, conserve natural resources, and reduce cleanup and financial costs for businesses, particularly for waste management and environmental liability. Practicing P2 is essential for protecting public health and improving environmental conditions in and around disadvantaged communities that have long been overburdened by pollution.
Between 2011-2021, EPA’s Pollution Prevention program has issued nearly 500 grants totaling more than $50 million, which have helped businesses identify, develop and adopt P2 approaches. These approaches have resulted in eliminating 19.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, saving 49 billion gallons of water, reducing 917 million pounds of hazardous materials and pollutants, and saving more than $2.2 billion for business.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is boosting these efforts by providing a historic $100 million to support the program’s continued efforts. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, state and Tribal programs that are awarded grants will not be required to provide matching funds, which has helped expand access to these resources and broadened the applicant pool.Read more about P2 and the P2 Grant Program.
The grant selections for these two programs include a diverse set of projects that will tackle pollution prevention at the community level. For example, two proposed projects involve working with food service providers in disadvantaged communities in Chicago and central Illinois, including restaurants, churches and soup kitchens, to increase the use of safer, more sustainable, and PFAS-free foodware. Projects in California and Minnesota will assist immigrant-owned nail salons in using safer products, including EPA Safer Choice-certified products. The California project will also assist Black-owned hair salons. And in Missouri and Alaska, technical assistance will be provided to the critical minerals mining industry to reduce air pollution, mine waste, and energy consumption in communities affected by mining.
EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
Ensuring greater availability and use of safer and more sustainable products can reduce harmful chemical exposures and their human health and the environmental impacts in disadvantaged communities and create a more sustainable and accessible marketplace. These efforts will continue to benefit businesses and communities across the nation by capturing what works and what can be adjusted in other communities. Recipients will share successful practices that are new or not widely known, as well as lessons learned, so that future businesses and communities can continue to innovate.
These grants will be fully funded upon being awarded. Individual grant awards may range from $100,000 to $800,000 for state- and city-level projects, or up to $1.2 million for multi-state projects over the funding period. EPA anticipates awarding the grants once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied. The list of selections can be found below, and the proposed summaries of proposed grantee projects can be found on EPA’s Pollution Prevention website.List of Grantees for Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice in Communities
Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts: Lowell
California: California Department of Public Health
Illinois: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Indiana: Indiana Department of Environmental Management
Kansas: Kansas State University
Louisiana: Southern University Agricultural Research & Extension Center
Minnesota: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Missouri: University of Missouri
New Jersey: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
North Carolina: East Carolina University
United States Virgin Islands: U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources
West Virginia: West Virginia University
List of Grantees for Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products
California: University of California: Los Angeles
District of Columbia: District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment
Hawaii: University of Hawaii
Illinois: University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Business and Financial Services
Illinois: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Maryland: Maryland Department of the Environment
Minnesota: University of Minnesota
Oregon: Portland State University
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Hershey Medical Center
South Carolina: Clemson University
Vermont: Vermont Department of Health
Washington: Washington Department of Ecology
Background:The United States generates millions of tons of pollution each year and spends billions of dollars per year controlling this pollution. Once in our environment, this pollution harms human and environmental health, which disproportionally impacts underserved communities. Preventing pollution at the source, also known as P2 or source reduction, rather than managing waste after it is produced, is an important part of the solution landscape, and advances a sustainable infrastructure that supports local economies while better protecting public health and the environment. P2 practices can reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, conserve natural resources, and reduce cleanup and financial costs for businesses, particularly for waste management and environmental liability. Practicing P2 is essential for protecting public health and improving environmental conditions in and around disadvantaged communities that have long been overburdened by pollution.
Between 2011-2021, EPA’s Pollution Prevention program has issued nearly 500 grants totaling more than $50 million, which have helped businesses identify, develop and adopt P2 approaches. These approaches have resulted in eliminating 19.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, saving 49 billion gallons of water, reducing 917 million pounds of hazardous materials and pollutants, and saving more than $2.2 billion for business.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is boosting these efforts by providing a historic $100 million to support the program’s continued efforts. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, state and Tribal programs that are awarded grants will not be required to provide matching funds, which has helped expand access to these resources and broadened the applicant pool.Read more about P2 and the P2 Grant Program.
Biden-Harris Administration Selects the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to Receive $325,000 Pollution Prevention Grant to Advance Environmental Justice
Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has been selected to receive a $325,000 pollution prevention grant through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, a key pillar of Bidenomics. EPA has selected IDEM to receive the funding, made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to develop and adopt practices that prevent pollution at the source in local communities.
“Achieving lasting environmental justice requires community-driven solutions boosted by federal resources,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “President Biden has secured historic levels of funding to address environmental harms in vulnerable communities under his Investing in America agenda. These dollars have supercharged our ability to empower a wide range of businesses from across the country to deploy solutions that prevent pollution while strengthening economic growth.”
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has been selected to receive $325,000. IDEM will use their grant funding to help small and medium-sized businesses in Indiana implement changes such as identifying and repairing compressor leaks and cleaning out barrels properly. They will provide training, peer mentoring, toolkits and environmental management systems planning. The project will help reduce the use of hazardous chemicals.
"Preventing pollution is a crucial part of environmental justice efforts across the Great Lakes region,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the grants being announced today will encourage businesses to help overburdened and underserved communities become cleaner, healthier places to live, learn and work.”
“Thank you to all of the leaders at the Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Indiana for this action to support small businesses and enhance the resources available to improve health outcomes and prevent pollution,” said Rep. Frank J. Mrvan. “I was proud to support the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and I appreciate that it continues to deliver positive and impactful resources for everyone in our communities.”
The Environmental Justice in Communities grant program will provide pollution prevention technical assistance to businesses to improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities. The Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products grant program will assist businesses to increase the supply, demand, and use of safer and more sustainable products, such as those certified by EPA’s Safer Choice program, or that conform to EPA’s Recommendations for Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing.
EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
Ensuring greater availability and use of safer and more sustainable products can reduce harmful chemical exposures and their human health and the environmental impacts in disadvantaged communities and create a more sustainable and accessible marketplace. These efforts will continue to benefit businesses and communities across the nation by capturing what works and what can be adjusted in other communities. Recipients will share successful practices that are new or not widely known, as well as lessons learned, so that future businesses and communities can continue to innovate.
EPA anticipates awarding the grants once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
Background:
The United States generates millions of tons of pollution each year and spends billions of dollars per year controlling this pollution. Once in our environment, this pollution harms human and environmental health, which disproportionally impacts underserved communities. Preventing pollution at the source, also known as P2 or source reduction, rather than managing waste after it is produced, is an important part of the solution landscape, and advances a sustainable infrastructure that supports local economies while better protecting public health and the environment. P2 practices can reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, conserve natural resources, and reduce cleanup and financial costs for businesses, particularly for waste management and environmental liability. Practicing P2 is essential for protecting public health and improving environmental conditions in and around disadvantaged communities that have long been overburdened by pollution.
Between 2011-2021, EPA’s Pollution Prevention program has issued nearly 500 grants totaling more than $50 million, which have helped businesses identify, develop and adopt P2 approaches. These approaches have resulted in eliminating 19.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, saving 49 billion gallons of water, reducing 917 million pounds of hazardous materials and pollutants, and saving more than $2.2 billion for business.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure is boosting these efforts by providing a historic $100 million to support the program’s continued efforts. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, state and Tribal programs that are awarded grants will not be required to provide matching funds, which has helped expand access to these resources and broadened the applicant pool.
Read more about P2 and the P2 Grant Program.
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“Achieving lasting environmental justice requires community-driven solutions boosted by federal resources,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “President Biden has secured historic levels of funding to address environmental harms in vulnerable communities under his Investing in America agenda. These dollars have supercharged our ability to empower a wide range of businesses from across the country to deploy solutions that prevent pollution while strengthening economic growth.”
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has been selected to receive $325,000. IDEM will use their grant funding to help small and medium-sized businesses in Indiana implement changes such as identifying and repairing compressor leaks and cleaning out barrels properly. They will provide training, peer mentoring, toolkits and environmental management systems planning. The project will help reduce the use of hazardous chemicals.
"Preventing pollution is a crucial part of environmental justice efforts across the Great Lakes region,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the grants being announced today will encourage businesses to help overburdened and underserved communities become cleaner, healthier places to live, learn and work.”
“Thank you to all of the leaders at the Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Indiana for this action to support small businesses and enhance the resources available to improve health outcomes and prevent pollution,” said Rep. Frank J. Mrvan. “I was proud to support the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and I appreciate that it continues to deliver positive and impactful resources for everyone in our communities.”
The Environmental Justice in Communities grant program will provide pollution prevention technical assistance to businesses to improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities. The Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products grant program will assist businesses to increase the supply, demand, and use of safer and more sustainable products, such as those certified by EPA’s Safer Choice program, or that conform to EPA’s Recommendations for Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing.
EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
Ensuring greater availability and use of safer and more sustainable products can reduce harmful chemical exposures and their human health and the environmental impacts in disadvantaged communities and create a more sustainable and accessible marketplace. These efforts will continue to benefit businesses and communities across the nation by capturing what works and what can be adjusted in other communities. Recipients will share successful practices that are new or not widely known, as well as lessons learned, so that future businesses and communities can continue to innovate.
EPA anticipates awarding the grants once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
Background:
The United States generates millions of tons of pollution each year and spends billions of dollars per year controlling this pollution. Once in our environment, this pollution harms human and environmental health, which disproportionally impacts underserved communities. Preventing pollution at the source, also known as P2 or source reduction, rather than managing waste after it is produced, is an important part of the solution landscape, and advances a sustainable infrastructure that supports local economies while better protecting public health and the environment. P2 practices can reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, conserve natural resources, and reduce cleanup and financial costs for businesses, particularly for waste management and environmental liability. Practicing P2 is essential for protecting public health and improving environmental conditions in and around disadvantaged communities that have long been overburdened by pollution.
Between 2011-2021, EPA’s Pollution Prevention program has issued nearly 500 grants totaling more than $50 million, which have helped businesses identify, develop and adopt P2 approaches. These approaches have resulted in eliminating 19.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, saving 49 billion gallons of water, reducing 917 million pounds of hazardous materials and pollutants, and saving more than $2.2 billion for business.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure is boosting these efforts by providing a historic $100 million to support the program’s continued efforts. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, state and Tribal programs that are awarded grants will not be required to provide matching funds, which has helped expand access to these resources and broadened the applicant pool.
Read more about P2 and the P2 Grant Program.
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Biden-Harris Administration Selects District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment to Receive a $500,000 Pollution Prevention Grant to Advance Environmental Justice
PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 12, 2023) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) has been selected to receive a $500,000 pollution prevention grant through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, a key pillar of Bidenomics. The funding to DOEE was made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to develop and adopt practices that prevent pollution at the source in local communities.
District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment’s proposed project will provide technical assistance to District cleaning service providers to transition to Safer Choice– and eco-certified cleaning products. Technical assistance will include conducting pollution prevention (P2) assessments, providing participant support costs to cover expenses related to transitioning to eco-label cleaning products, and training on sustainable cleaning practices and procurement requirements for cleaning products and janitorial services. The proposed project will improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities by reducing waste, workplace exposure to hazardous chemicals for cleaning personnel, the release of harmful substances, and resource consumption in Wards 5, 7, and 8 of the District of Columbia.
“Achieving lasting environmental justice requires community-driven solutions boosted by federal resources,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “President Biden has secured historic levels of funding to address environmental harms in vulnerable communities under his Investing in America agenda. These dollars have supercharged our ability to empower a wide range of businesses from across the country to deploy solutions that prevent pollution while strengthening economic growth.”
“This funding to DC DOEE is yet another investment the Biden-Harris Administration is making to improve the health and future of communities in the Mid-Atlantic Region and nationwide,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “Getting businesses committed to improving peoples’ lives and reducing pollution is helping create healthier, stronger and more sustainable communities.”
The Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products grant program will assist businesses to increase the supply, demand, and use of safer and more sustainable products, such as those certified by EPA’s Safer Choice program, or that conform to EPA’s Recommendations for Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing.
EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
Ensuring greater availability and use of safer and more sustainable products can reduce harmful chemical exposures and their human health and the environmental impacts in disadvantaged communities and create a more sustainable and accessible marketplace. These efforts will continue to benefit businesses and communities across the nation by capturing what works and what can be adjusted in other communities. Recipients will share successful practices that are new or not widely known, as well as lessons learned, so that future businesses and communities can continue to innovate.
EPA anticipates awarding the grant once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
Read more about P2 and the P2 Grant Program.
District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment’s proposed project will provide technical assistance to District cleaning service providers to transition to Safer Choice– and eco-certified cleaning products. Technical assistance will include conducting pollution prevention (P2) assessments, providing participant support costs to cover expenses related to transitioning to eco-label cleaning products, and training on sustainable cleaning practices and procurement requirements for cleaning products and janitorial services. The proposed project will improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities by reducing waste, workplace exposure to hazardous chemicals for cleaning personnel, the release of harmful substances, and resource consumption in Wards 5, 7, and 8 of the District of Columbia.
“Achieving lasting environmental justice requires community-driven solutions boosted by federal resources,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “President Biden has secured historic levels of funding to address environmental harms in vulnerable communities under his Investing in America agenda. These dollars have supercharged our ability to empower a wide range of businesses from across the country to deploy solutions that prevent pollution while strengthening economic growth.”
“This funding to DC DOEE is yet another investment the Biden-Harris Administration is making to improve the health and future of communities in the Mid-Atlantic Region and nationwide,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “Getting businesses committed to improving peoples’ lives and reducing pollution is helping create healthier, stronger and more sustainable communities.”
The Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products grant program will assist businesses to increase the supply, demand, and use of safer and more sustainable products, such as those certified by EPA’s Safer Choice program, or that conform to EPA’s Recommendations for Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing.
EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
Ensuring greater availability and use of safer and more sustainable products can reduce harmful chemical exposures and their human health and the environmental impacts in disadvantaged communities and create a more sustainable and accessible marketplace. These efforts will continue to benefit businesses and communities across the nation by capturing what works and what can be adjusted in other communities. Recipients will share successful practices that are new or not widely known, as well as lessons learned, so that future businesses and communities can continue to innovate.
EPA anticipates awarding the grant once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
Read more about P2 and the P2 Grant Program.
Biden-Harris Administration Selects Illinois Recipients to Receive Over $2 Million in Pollution Prevention Grants to Advance Environmental Justice
Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the Board of Trustees at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois Chicago have been selected to receive a total of $2,610,808 in pollution prevention grants through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, a key pillar of Bidenomics. EPA has selected the universities to receive the funding, made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to develop and adopt practices that prevent pollution at the source.
“Achieving lasting environmental justice requires community-driven solutions boosted by federal resources,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “President Biden has secured historic levels of funding to address environmental harms in vulnerable communities under his Investing in America agenda. These dollars have supercharged our ability to empower a wide range of businesses from across the country to deploy solutions that prevent pollution while strengthening economic growth.”
The Board of Trustees at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has been selected to receive $1,126,972. The University has proposed a multi-state project with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Missouri State University. The teams will work together to help 30 manufacturing and processing facilities across multiple business sectors to reduce water consumption, wastewater generation, energy consumption and hazardous waste. They will offer pollution prevention and energy efficiency assessments, as well as support for businesses adopting pollution prevention recommendations. The project will improve energy efficiency, reduce reliance on fossil fuel energy sources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in overburdened communities near the Mississippi River.
The Board of Trustees at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has also been selected to receive a second Pollution Prevention grant of $800,000. The University will launch a second project to help food service businesses reduce their consumption of items containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). They will develop criteria and tools to identify and purchase products without PFAS, as well as on-site assessments for 30 businesses. The project will reduce harmful chemical exposures for food service employees and customers, reduce drinking water contamination and soil pollution and decrease the amount of PFAS-containing products entering landfills or compost facilities.
University of Illinois Chicago has been selected to receive $683,836. The University will help restaurants to transition to reusable, biodegradable, and compostable food contact materials that do not contain PFAS. They will create an awareness campaign and offer incentives to participating restaurants. The project will reduce plastic waste, promote landfill diversion and reduce contamination in composting.
"Preventing pollution is a crucial part of environmental justice efforts across the Great Lakes region,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the grants being announced today will encourage businesses to help overburdened and underserved communities become cleaner, healthier places to live, learn and work.”
“I’m proud that Illinois is at the forefront of the clean energy revolution,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “These grants will enable our top-tier academic institutions to support businesses across the state in developing sustainable practices to reduce waste and pollution while becoming more energy efficient. We’re working together and taking action to create a more sustainable future for all Illinoisans.”
“Adopting pollution prevention practices will advance environmental justice in underserved communities and combat the climate crisis,” said Sen. Dick Durbin. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, our institutions can help drive positive change across Illinois and ensure clean air and water.”
“Prioritizing environmental justice communities is a critical key to making a greener, more equitable Illinois a reality,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth. “As co-founder and co-chair of the Senate’s first-ever Environmental Justice Caucus and author of the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act, I’m proud that this comprehensive federal funding will help update water systems, prevent forever chemicals and increase energy efficiency for working communities.”
“Addressing pollution is critical for the health of our families and our environment,” said Rep. Nikki Budzinski. “I’m thrilled to join the Environmental Protection Agency to announce more than $2.6 million in federal funding that will help reduce the impacts of pollution across Illinois. The projects supported by these funds and led by the University of Illinois System will help ensure that everyone can enjoy a safe and healthy community.”
“SEDAC is excited to work with EPA Region 5 to reduce PFAS pollution in disadvantaged communities through safer, more sustainable food contact products. We look forward to sharing our findings broadly within Illinois, but especially with the restaurant and food services communities and related EPA P2 partners,” said Dr. Brian Deal, executive director of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Smart Energy Design Assistance Center.
“As one of the most inclusive research-intensive universities in the United States, the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is proud to be at the forefront of research that is inspired by, connects with, and empowers diverse communities. We are honored to receive funding from the U.S. EPA for our latest P2 project led by Dr. Ai. This grant stands as a testament to our unwavering commitment at UIC to leading, innovating, and promoting environmental justice and sustainability,” said University of Illinois Chicago Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda.
The Environmental Justice in Communities grant program will provide pollution prevention technical assistance to businesses to improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities. The Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products grant program will assist businesses to increase the supply, demand, and use of safer and more sustainable products, such as those certified by EPA’s Safer Choice program, or that conform to EPA’s Recommendations for Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing.
EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
Ensuring greater availability and use of safer and more sustainable products can reduce harmful chemical exposures and their human health and the environmental impacts in disadvantaged communities and create a more sustainable and accessible marketplace. These efforts will continue to benefit businesses and communities across the nation by capturing what works and what can be adjusted in other communities. Recipients will share successful practices that are new or not widely known, as well as lessons learned, so that future businesses and communities can continue to innovate.
EPA anticipates awarding the grants once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
Background:
The United States generates millions of tons of pollution each year and spends billions of dollars per year controlling this pollution. Once in our environment, this pollution harms human and environmental health, which disproportionally impacts underserved communities. Preventing pollution at the source, also known as P2 or source reduction, rather than managing waste after it is produced, is an important part of the solution landscape, and advances a sustainable infrastructure that supports local economies while better protecting public health and the environment. P2 practices can reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, conserve natural resources, and reduce cleanup and financial costs for businesses, particularly for waste management and environmental liability. Practicing P2 is essential for protecting public health and improving environmental conditions in and around disadvantaged communities that have long been overburdened by pollution.
Between 2011-2021, EPA’s Pollution Prevention program has issued nearly 500 grants totaling more than $50 million, which have helped businesses identify, develop and adopt P2 approaches. These approaches have resulted in eliminating 19.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, saving 49 billion gallons of water, reducing 917 million pounds of hazardous materials and pollutants, and saving more than $2.2 billion for business.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure is boosting these efforts by providing a historic $100 million to support the program’s continued efforts. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, state and Tribal programs that are awarded grants will not be required to provide matching funds, which has helped expand access to these resources and broadened the applicant pool.
Read more about P2 and the P2 Grant Program.
“Achieving lasting environmental justice requires community-driven solutions boosted by federal resources,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “President Biden has secured historic levels of funding to address environmental harms in vulnerable communities under his Investing in America agenda. These dollars have supercharged our ability to empower a wide range of businesses from across the country to deploy solutions that prevent pollution while strengthening economic growth.”
The Board of Trustees at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has been selected to receive $1,126,972. The University has proposed a multi-state project with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Missouri State University. The teams will work together to help 30 manufacturing and processing facilities across multiple business sectors to reduce water consumption, wastewater generation, energy consumption and hazardous waste. They will offer pollution prevention and energy efficiency assessments, as well as support for businesses adopting pollution prevention recommendations. The project will improve energy efficiency, reduce reliance on fossil fuel energy sources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in overburdened communities near the Mississippi River.
The Board of Trustees at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has also been selected to receive a second Pollution Prevention grant of $800,000. The University will launch a second project to help food service businesses reduce their consumption of items containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). They will develop criteria and tools to identify and purchase products without PFAS, as well as on-site assessments for 30 businesses. The project will reduce harmful chemical exposures for food service employees and customers, reduce drinking water contamination and soil pollution and decrease the amount of PFAS-containing products entering landfills or compost facilities.
University of Illinois Chicago has been selected to receive $683,836. The University will help restaurants to transition to reusable, biodegradable, and compostable food contact materials that do not contain PFAS. They will create an awareness campaign and offer incentives to participating restaurants. The project will reduce plastic waste, promote landfill diversion and reduce contamination in composting.
"Preventing pollution is a crucial part of environmental justice efforts across the Great Lakes region,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the grants being announced today will encourage businesses to help overburdened and underserved communities become cleaner, healthier places to live, learn and work.”
“I’m proud that Illinois is at the forefront of the clean energy revolution,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “These grants will enable our top-tier academic institutions to support businesses across the state in developing sustainable practices to reduce waste and pollution while becoming more energy efficient. We’re working together and taking action to create a more sustainable future for all Illinoisans.”
“Adopting pollution prevention practices will advance environmental justice in underserved communities and combat the climate crisis,” said Sen. Dick Durbin. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, our institutions can help drive positive change across Illinois and ensure clean air and water.”
“Prioritizing environmental justice communities is a critical key to making a greener, more equitable Illinois a reality,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth. “As co-founder and co-chair of the Senate’s first-ever Environmental Justice Caucus and author of the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act, I’m proud that this comprehensive federal funding will help update water systems, prevent forever chemicals and increase energy efficiency for working communities.”
“Addressing pollution is critical for the health of our families and our environment,” said Rep. Nikki Budzinski. “I’m thrilled to join the Environmental Protection Agency to announce more than $2.6 million in federal funding that will help reduce the impacts of pollution across Illinois. The projects supported by these funds and led by the University of Illinois System will help ensure that everyone can enjoy a safe and healthy community.”
“SEDAC is excited to work with EPA Region 5 to reduce PFAS pollution in disadvantaged communities through safer, more sustainable food contact products. We look forward to sharing our findings broadly within Illinois, but especially with the restaurant and food services communities and related EPA P2 partners,” said Dr. Brian Deal, executive director of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Smart Energy Design Assistance Center.
“As one of the most inclusive research-intensive universities in the United States, the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is proud to be at the forefront of research that is inspired by, connects with, and empowers diverse communities. We are honored to receive funding from the U.S. EPA for our latest P2 project led by Dr. Ai. This grant stands as a testament to our unwavering commitment at UIC to leading, innovating, and promoting environmental justice and sustainability,” said University of Illinois Chicago Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda.
The Environmental Justice in Communities grant program will provide pollution prevention technical assistance to businesses to improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities. The Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products grant program will assist businesses to increase the supply, demand, and use of safer and more sustainable products, such as those certified by EPA’s Safer Choice program, or that conform to EPA’s Recommendations for Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing.
EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
Ensuring greater availability and use of safer and more sustainable products can reduce harmful chemical exposures and their human health and the environmental impacts in disadvantaged communities and create a more sustainable and accessible marketplace. These efforts will continue to benefit businesses and communities across the nation by capturing what works and what can be adjusted in other communities. Recipients will share successful practices that are new or not widely known, as well as lessons learned, so that future businesses and communities can continue to innovate.
EPA anticipates awarding the grants once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
Background:
The United States generates millions of tons of pollution each year and spends billions of dollars per year controlling this pollution. Once in our environment, this pollution harms human and environmental health, which disproportionally impacts underserved communities. Preventing pollution at the source, also known as P2 or source reduction, rather than managing waste after it is produced, is an important part of the solution landscape, and advances a sustainable infrastructure that supports local economies while better protecting public health and the environment. P2 practices can reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, conserve natural resources, and reduce cleanup and financial costs for businesses, particularly for waste management and environmental liability. Practicing P2 is essential for protecting public health and improving environmental conditions in and around disadvantaged communities that have long been overburdened by pollution.
Between 2011-2021, EPA’s Pollution Prevention program has issued nearly 500 grants totaling more than $50 million, which have helped businesses identify, develop and adopt P2 approaches. These approaches have resulted in eliminating 19.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, saving 49 billion gallons of water, reducing 917 million pounds of hazardous materials and pollutants, and saving more than $2.2 billion for business.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure is boosting these efforts by providing a historic $100 million to support the program’s continued efforts. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, state and Tribal programs that are awarded grants will not be required to provide matching funds, which has helped expand access to these resources and broadened the applicant pool.
Read more about P2 and the P2 Grant Program.
EPA and State of New Jersey Propose Settlement with Stepan Company for Cleanup of Maywood Chemical Company Superfund Site
NEW YORK – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed settlement with Stepan Company to address contaminated soil at the Maywood Chemical Company Superfund Site in Bergen County, New Jersey. Under the proposed agreement, Stepan Company, a potentially responsible party for the site, will be required to remove and dispose of contaminated soil from several non-residential properties that are part of the site, at an estimated cost of $8.6 million. EPA first noticed Stepan Company of its potential liability for site-related contamination in 1987 because Stepan Company owns site property, produces specialty chemicals on portions of the site, and is a successor to Maywood Chemical Company. In addition to agreeing to perform this work, Stepan recently completed the successful cleanup and restoration of several residential properties in the area.
“This settlement holds polluters like Stepan Company responsible for cleaning up the chemical contamination, which is work needed to address the risks posed to people’s health and the environment,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “EPA is working with our state partners and to clean and restore Superfund sites in New Jersey and across the country.”
Stepan Company has agreed to carry out EPA’s chosen cleanup plan for a part of the site known as Operable Unit 1 (OU1). This plan aims to address the soil contamination by various chemicals and waste, such as metals, VOCs and SVOCs, at several site properties. Under the plan, the company will:
Remove and properly dispose of about 19,690 cubic yards of contaminated soil.
Place site use restrictions to prevent future exposure to the remaining contamination.
Pay $362,800 to EPA for past cleanup costs and reimbursing EPA for future oversight costs.
Stepan Company has already completed the cleanup work for several residential properties within OU1. Under EPA’s supervision, the company removed and properly disposed of about 18,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil from around the properties and restored the properties to their original condition.
The proposed consent decree also resolves payment for costs of initial response work incurred by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and provides for payment of NJDEP’s future oversight costs.
The proposed consent decree, which has been lodged in the U. S. federal district court for the district of New Jersey, is subject to 60-day public comment periods once notice is published in the Federal Register and New Jersey Register. The Federal Register notice was published on October 6, 2023, and the New Jersey Register notice is forthcoming. At the close of the comment periods, the United States and NJDEP will evaluate the comments and decide whether to proceed and then, if appropriate, seek final approval by the court.
For more information, and to view the proposed consent decree and to give comments, please visit this page: https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees
Visit the Maywood Chemical Co. Superfund site profile page for additional background and site documents.
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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“This settlement holds polluters like Stepan Company responsible for cleaning up the chemical contamination, which is work needed to address the risks posed to people’s health and the environment,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “EPA is working with our state partners and to clean and restore Superfund sites in New Jersey and across the country.”
Stepan Company has agreed to carry out EPA’s chosen cleanup plan for a part of the site known as Operable Unit 1 (OU1). This plan aims to address the soil contamination by various chemicals and waste, such as metals, VOCs and SVOCs, at several site properties. Under the plan, the company will:
Remove and properly dispose of about 19,690 cubic yards of contaminated soil.
Place site use restrictions to prevent future exposure to the remaining contamination.
Pay $362,800 to EPA for past cleanup costs and reimbursing EPA for future oversight costs.
Stepan Company has already completed the cleanup work for several residential properties within OU1. Under EPA’s supervision, the company removed and properly disposed of about 18,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil from around the properties and restored the properties to their original condition.
The proposed consent decree also resolves payment for costs of initial response work incurred by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and provides for payment of NJDEP’s future oversight costs.
The proposed consent decree, which has been lodged in the U. S. federal district court for the district of New Jersey, is subject to 60-day public comment periods once notice is published in the Federal Register and New Jersey Register. The Federal Register notice was published on October 6, 2023, and the New Jersey Register notice is forthcoming. At the close of the comment periods, the United States and NJDEP will evaluate the comments and decide whether to proceed and then, if appropriate, seek final approval by the court.
For more information, and to view the proposed consent decree and to give comments, please visit this page: https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees
Visit the Maywood Chemical Co. Superfund site profile page for additional background and site documents.
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 Region 7 Presents $3M Check to City of Kansas City, Missouri, After Selection for Brownfields Funding
Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas and EPA Region 7 Regional Administrator Meg McCollister pose with a $3 million dollar novelty big check after an award ceremony at the Buck O'Neil Education and Research Center, Oct. 12, 2023. The $3 million presented is an additional award, made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. (Photo credit U.S. EPA)LENEXA, KAN. (OCT. 12, 2023) – Today, at the Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center, EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister presented a $3 million ceremonial check to the City of Kansas City, Missouri, for its selection to receive additional funding for its Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF). McCollister was joined by Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.
“This funding is a shining example of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law at work in our Heartland communities,” McCollister said. “EPA and the City of Kansas City, Missouri, have partnered for over 20 years to clean up the city’s contaminated properties. With this investment, we are creating a cleaner and more robust economy for underserved areas within one of our region’s largest cities.”
Kansas City, Missouri, was previously awarded nearly $8.5 million for their RLF. The $3 million presented today is an additional award, made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The city’s RLF program has successfully made loans or subgrants to 11 cleanup projects that are either completed or in progress. Potential Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded projects include additional phases of cleanup and preparation for redevelopment at the Hardesty Federal Complex, as well as funding for additional cleanups in the most underserved areas of the city.
“As we create more vibrant, healthy, and clean neighborhoods, I am proud Kansas City received additional vital funding from the EPA to allow us to remove dangerous contaminants, including asbestos and lead-based paint, from vacant lots and aging buildings to make them suitable for building affordable homes or other opportunities to enrich neighborhoods and improve economic prosperity across our city,” Lucas said. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is continuing to make transformational impacts in our community, and I thank the EPA and Congressman Cleaver for our continued, strong partnership to improve the lives of Kansas Citians.”
These investments are part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to grow the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to driving over $470 billion in private-sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, to building a clean energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.
“I will never get tired of supporting check presentations for federal investments made in our own backyard,” Cleaver said. “This is what Investing in America looks like – making clean energy investments, creating good-paying jobs, and restoring infrastructure in communities across America. I am grateful for the Biden-Harris Administration for the concerted effort to strengthen communities like ours, and for the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to continue positively shaping Missouri’s Fifth District.”
Background
EPA has selected organizations to receive funding to address and support the reuse of brownfield sites. EPA anticipates making all the recently announced awards, once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.37 billion in Brownfields Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. EPA’s investments in addressing brownfield sites have leveraged over $36 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding has leveraged nearly 260,000 jobs from both public and private sources. Communities that previously received Brownfields Grants used these resources to fund assessments and cleanups of brownfields, and successfully leveraged an average of 10.6 jobs per $100,000 of EPA Brownfield Grant funds spent and $19.78 for every dollar.
· Learn more about Brownfields Grants
· Learn more about EPA’s Brownfields Program
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Learn more about EPA Region 7
“This funding is a shining example of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law at work in our Heartland communities,” McCollister said. “EPA and the City of Kansas City, Missouri, have partnered for over 20 years to clean up the city’s contaminated properties. With this investment, we are creating a cleaner and more robust economy for underserved areas within one of our region’s largest cities.”
Kansas City, Missouri, was previously awarded nearly $8.5 million for their RLF. The $3 million presented today is an additional award, made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The city’s RLF program has successfully made loans or subgrants to 11 cleanup projects that are either completed or in progress. Potential Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded projects include additional phases of cleanup and preparation for redevelopment at the Hardesty Federal Complex, as well as funding for additional cleanups in the most underserved areas of the city.
“As we create more vibrant, healthy, and clean neighborhoods, I am proud Kansas City received additional vital funding from the EPA to allow us to remove dangerous contaminants, including asbestos and lead-based paint, from vacant lots and aging buildings to make them suitable for building affordable homes or other opportunities to enrich neighborhoods and improve economic prosperity across our city,” Lucas said. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is continuing to make transformational impacts in our community, and I thank the EPA and Congressman Cleaver for our continued, strong partnership to improve the lives of Kansas Citians.”
These investments are part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to grow the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to driving over $470 billion in private-sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, to building a clean energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.
“I will never get tired of supporting check presentations for federal investments made in our own backyard,” Cleaver said. “This is what Investing in America looks like – making clean energy investments, creating good-paying jobs, and restoring infrastructure in communities across America. I am grateful for the Biden-Harris Administration for the concerted effort to strengthen communities like ours, and for the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to continue positively shaping Missouri’s Fifth District.”
Background
EPA has selected organizations to receive funding to address and support the reuse of brownfield sites. EPA anticipates making all the recently announced awards, once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.37 billion in Brownfields Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. EPA’s investments in addressing brownfield sites have leveraged over $36 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding has leveraged nearly 260,000 jobs from both public and private sources. Communities that previously received Brownfields Grants used these resources to fund assessments and cleanups of brownfields, and successfully leveraged an average of 10.6 jobs per $100,000 of EPA Brownfield Grant funds spent and $19.78 for every dollar.
· Learn more about Brownfields Grants
· Learn more about EPA’s Brownfields Program
# # #
Learn more about EPA Region 7
Rutgers University to Receive Almost $800K to Help Small Businesses Across NJ Reduce Hazardous Waste
NEW YORK- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has chosen Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey to receive nearly $800,000 in funding under EPA’s Environmental Justice in Communities program to assist NJ small businesses in cutting the hazardous waste that they generate. The Rutgers project, led by the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and the New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center, is a partnership with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). The funding, which was made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is to develop and adopt practices that prevent pollution at the source in local communities. Rutgers is one of 24 recipients across the country that were selected to collectively receive nearly $16 million in pollution prevention grants.
“There are often relatively simple and low-cost steps businesses can take to reduce the hazardous materials that they use and generate and at the same time help their financial bottom line,” said Lisa F. Garcia, EPA Regional Administrator. “But small businesses may not know where to start or how to identify those steps. This federal funding, available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will support Rutgers program to provide the technical assistance needed to these businesses.”
EPA has selected Rutgers University to receive $787,527 to provide technical assistance to small businesses that lack information and resources to reduce the hazardous substances that they generate. Technical assistance will include establishing a working group that will provide on-site assistance led by the NJDEP and includes an important community assistance component that will be led by community-based collaboratives that will receive financial support from Rutgers. Working with the state and communities, Rutgers’ project will focus on reducing facilities’ use, generation, and release of hazardous substances in communities traditionally overburdened by pollution. These communities will be identified using EPA’s EJ SCREEN and Rutgers’ NJADAPT suite of data tools.
“This initiative contributes to New Jersey’s efforts to advance community-led solutions to minimize hazards that are exacerbated by changing climate conditions,” said Jeanne Herb, Executive Director of the Bloustein School Environmental Analysis & Communications Group and Co-Director of the New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center at Rutgers University. “Reducing exposures to hazardous materials that may be used, generated or transported in flood-prone areas, especially in environmental justice communities, is a win-win for communities and businesses both.”
“Bringing environmental equity to and improving the health of people who live and work in our overburdened communities is of the highest priority to the Murphy Administration,” said New Jersey Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. “My DEP colleagues and I wish to express our gratitude to Administrator Garcia and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for providing this funding to Rutgers University to help small businesses reduce or eliminate the hazardous substances they use. The Department of Environmental Protection looks forward to working closely with Rutgers and community organizations to provide the technical assistance that will make these goals a reality.”
“This federal investment in New Jersey will empower small businesses to improve health and the environment across our state,” said U.S. Senator Cory Booker. “I’m proud to see Rutgers University receive this funding so that it can provide small businesses with the technical assistance to reduce the harmful impact of hazardous substances in disadvantaged communities.”
“Today, more transformational funding to prevent toxic pollution is on its way to New Jersey from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said U.S. Representative Frank Pallone (NJ-06). “The Pollution Prevention Grants to Advance Environmental Justice Program breaks down barriers to resources and access to information so facilities can more easily reduce hazardous substances that harm public health. I congratulate Rutgers University for receiving a grant to carry out this important work for New Jerseyans and thank President Biden for his partnership in prioritizing environmental justice.
The Environmental Justice in Communities grant program will provide pollution prevention technical assistance to businesses to improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities. The Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products grant program will assist businesses to increase the supply, demand, and use of safer and more sustainable products, such as those certified by EPA’s Safer Choice program, or that conform to EPA’s Recommendations for Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing.
EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
Ensuring greater availability and use of safer and more sustainable products can reduce harmful chemical exposures and their human health and the environmental impacts in disadvantaged communities and create a more sustainable and accessible marketplace. These efforts will continue to benefit businesses and communities across the nation by capturing what works and what can be adjusted in other communities. Recipients will share successful practices that are new or not widely known, as well as lessons learned, so that future businesses and communities can continue to innovate.
EPA anticipates awarding the grants once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
Background:
The United States generates millions of tons of pollution each year and spends billions of dollars per year controlling this pollution. Once in our environment, this pollution harms human and environmental health, which disproportionally impacts underserved communities. Preventing pollution at the source, also known as P2 or source reduction, rather than managing waste after it is produced, is an important part of the solution landscape, and advances a sustainable infrastructure that supports local economies while better protecting public health and the environment. P2 practices can reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, conserve natural resources, and reduce cleanup and financial costs for businesses, particularly for waste management and environmental liability. Practicing P2 is essential for protecting public health and improving environmental conditions in and around disadvantaged communities that have long been overburdened by pollution.
Between 2011-2021, EPA’s Pollution Prevention program has issued nearly 500 grants totaling more than $50 million, which have helped businesses identify, develop and adopt P2 approaches. These approaches have resulted in eliminating 19.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, saving 49 billion gallons of water, reducing 917 million pounds of hazardous materials and pollutants, and saving more than $2.2 billion for business.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is boosting these efforts by providing a historic $100 million to support the program’s continued efforts. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, state and Tribal programs that are awarded grants will not be required to provide matching funds, which has helped expand access to these resources and broadened the applicant pool.
For more information about EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice Program, visit EPA's P2 website.
For more information about EPA’s tools for identifying communities that face disproportionate burdens, visit EPA’s EJ Screen 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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“There are often relatively simple and low-cost steps businesses can take to reduce the hazardous materials that they use and generate and at the same time help their financial bottom line,” said Lisa F. Garcia, EPA Regional Administrator. “But small businesses may not know where to start or how to identify those steps. This federal funding, available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will support Rutgers program to provide the technical assistance needed to these businesses.”
EPA has selected Rutgers University to receive $787,527 to provide technical assistance to small businesses that lack information and resources to reduce the hazardous substances that they generate. Technical assistance will include establishing a working group that will provide on-site assistance led by the NJDEP and includes an important community assistance component that will be led by community-based collaboratives that will receive financial support from Rutgers. Working with the state and communities, Rutgers’ project will focus on reducing facilities’ use, generation, and release of hazardous substances in communities traditionally overburdened by pollution. These communities will be identified using EPA’s EJ SCREEN and Rutgers’ NJADAPT suite of data tools.
“This initiative contributes to New Jersey’s efforts to advance community-led solutions to minimize hazards that are exacerbated by changing climate conditions,” said Jeanne Herb, Executive Director of the Bloustein School Environmental Analysis & Communications Group and Co-Director of the New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center at Rutgers University. “Reducing exposures to hazardous materials that may be used, generated or transported in flood-prone areas, especially in environmental justice communities, is a win-win for communities and businesses both.”
“Bringing environmental equity to and improving the health of people who live and work in our overburdened communities is of the highest priority to the Murphy Administration,” said New Jersey Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. “My DEP colleagues and I wish to express our gratitude to Administrator Garcia and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for providing this funding to Rutgers University to help small businesses reduce or eliminate the hazardous substances they use. The Department of Environmental Protection looks forward to working closely with Rutgers and community organizations to provide the technical assistance that will make these goals a reality.”
“This federal investment in New Jersey will empower small businesses to improve health and the environment across our state,” said U.S. Senator Cory Booker. “I’m proud to see Rutgers University receive this funding so that it can provide small businesses with the technical assistance to reduce the harmful impact of hazardous substances in disadvantaged communities.”
“Today, more transformational funding to prevent toxic pollution is on its way to New Jersey from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said U.S. Representative Frank Pallone (NJ-06). “The Pollution Prevention Grants to Advance Environmental Justice Program breaks down barriers to resources and access to information so facilities can more easily reduce hazardous substances that harm public health. I congratulate Rutgers University for receiving a grant to carry out this important work for New Jerseyans and thank President Biden for his partnership in prioritizing environmental justice.
The Environmental Justice in Communities grant program will provide pollution prevention technical assistance to businesses to improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities. The Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products grant program will assist businesses to increase the supply, demand, and use of safer and more sustainable products, such as those certified by EPA’s Safer Choice program, or that conform to EPA’s Recommendations for Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing.
EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
Ensuring greater availability and use of safer and more sustainable products can reduce harmful chemical exposures and their human health and the environmental impacts in disadvantaged communities and create a more sustainable and accessible marketplace. These efforts will continue to benefit businesses and communities across the nation by capturing what works and what can be adjusted in other communities. Recipients will share successful practices that are new or not widely known, as well as lessons learned, so that future businesses and communities can continue to innovate.
EPA anticipates awarding the grants once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
Background:
The United States generates millions of tons of pollution each year and spends billions of dollars per year controlling this pollution. Once in our environment, this pollution harms human and environmental health, which disproportionally impacts underserved communities. Preventing pollution at the source, also known as P2 or source reduction, rather than managing waste after it is produced, is an important part of the solution landscape, and advances a sustainable infrastructure that supports local economies while better protecting public health and the environment. P2 practices can reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, conserve natural resources, and reduce cleanup and financial costs for businesses, particularly for waste management and environmental liability. Practicing P2 is essential for protecting public health and improving environmental conditions in and around disadvantaged communities that have long been overburdened by pollution.
Between 2011-2021, EPA’s Pollution Prevention program has issued nearly 500 grants totaling more than $50 million, which have helped businesses identify, develop and adopt P2 approaches. These approaches have resulted in eliminating 19.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, saving 49 billion gallons of water, reducing 917 million pounds of hazardous materials and pollutants, and saving more than $2.2 billion for business.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is boosting these efforts by providing a historic $100 million to support the program’s continued efforts. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, state and Tribal programs that are awarded grants will not be required to provide matching funds, which has helped expand access to these resources and broadened the applicant pool.
For more information about EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice Program, visit EPA's P2 website.
For more information about EPA’s tools for identifying communities that face disproportionate burdens, visit EPA’s EJ Screen 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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