News and reports from the Environmental Protection Agency.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (August 9, 2024) – On Tuesday, August 13, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will announce a $188.3 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to Toho Water Authority in central Florida. With this WIFIA loan, the authority will modernize its water infrastructure in Polk and Osceola Counties to improve water supply resiliency for over 450,000 residents.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $20 million in grant funding for the Houston Health Department and its partner, Black United Fund of Texas (BUFTX), to address environmental and climate justice challenges. This initiative is part of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and represents the largest single investment in environmental justice to date.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $19,944,576 in grant funding for Dillard University and its partner United Way of Southeast Louisiana. The grants aim to assist disadvantaged communities in addressing environmental and climate justice challenges by reducing pollution, increasing community climate resilience, and building community capacity. This funding is part of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which represents the largest single investment in environmental and climate justice to date.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized updates to strengthen the Safer Choice and Design for the Environment (DfE) Standard, which sets the requirements that products and their ingredients must meet to earn EPA's Safer Choice label or DfE logo. These updates aim to enhance the criteria for products qualifying for the voluntary Safer Choice label, promoting safer chemicals in the marketplace.

Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America Agenda, Ypsilanti is joining communities across the country to accelerate the replacement of lead service lines.

DENVER – Today, at an event with Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water Mae Wu announced a $42 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to Ogden City, Utah. This WIFIA loan aims to help the city replace aging water pipes to reduce leaks and save millions of gallons of water daily.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $2.4 million to support projects aimed at protecting, managing, and restoring wetlands in the mid-Atlantic region. The funding will benefit recipients in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Virginia, and West Virginia through the Wetland Program Development Grant (WPDG). These grants are intended to help states and Tribes develop and manage wetlands programs.

On August 7, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the implementation of a new label program aimed at boosting clean American manufacturing. This initiative is designed to assist federal purchasers and other buyers in identifying and purchasing cleaner, more climate-friendly construction materials and products. The program is supported by a $100 million investment from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, which seeks to reduce climate pollution associated with the production of construction materials—a sector responsible for over 15%...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 has entered into an administrative settlement agreement for response actions at the HPI Chemicals Inc. site in St. Joseph, Missouri. This agreement includes a covenant not to sue, established through a prospective purchaser agreement (PPA) with the City of St. Joseph and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe, alongside Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and other state officials, visited Jacobsen’s Farm in Omaha to emphasize the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy’s (NDEE) receipt of a $307 million EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG). This funding is part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in conjunction with Senator Dick Durbin, Representative Jan Schakowsky, and Mayor Daniel Biss, held a press conference today to announce a nearly $4 million grant to the Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse. This Chicago-area nonprofit will use the funds to support efforts aimed at reducing climate pollution from the manufacturing of construction materials.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (August 7, 2024) – At an event with U.S. Representative Terri Sewell, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle announced a $171 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the Birmingham Water Works Board in Alabama. The loan aims to support improvements to the drinking water supply for 770,000 residents in Birmingham.

Tallahassee, Fla. (August 6, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tentatively affirmed the State of Florida’s request to designate the waters within the Indian River-Vero Beach to Fort Pierce Aquatic Preserve as a vessel sewage no-discharge zone. This action aims to protect and enhance the quality of waters within the 9,500-acre Preserve, a designated estuary of national significance threatened by pollution, development, or overuse. The EPA’s tentative decision is subject to a 30-day public comment period.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Teck Alaska, Incorporated, the operator of Red Dog Mine near Kotzebue, Alaska, has agreed to pay $429,794 in penalties for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The violations occurred when the company treated and stored hazardous waste without a permit between October 1, 2019, and January 15, 2024.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting another round of helicopter flyovers to survey oil and gas facilities in the Permian Basin region. These flyovers aim to identify emissions from facilities, including methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). VOCs contribute to the formation of ozone (smog), which can lead to health issues such as asthma, lung infections, bronchitis, and cancer.