U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator David Cash celebrated major federal and state infrastructure investments in the Fall River, Massachusetts, that are expected to greatly improve residents' health, according to a release published Dec. 9. 

Cash was joined by U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan, and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Martin Suuberg. 

Planned projects include identifying and replacing lead service lines and making needed water infrastructure upgrades. The group also celebrated the Fall River community retaining zero-emission electric school buses.

"Thanks to unprecedented funding from Congress and the Biden administration, EPA and our partners are making critical, forward-leaning investments to upgrade infrastructure and protect people's health in Fall River," Cash said. "These investments, from replacing diesel school buses with clean, zero-emission vehicles, to modernizing water infrastructure and removing lead from drinking water pipes, will provide tangible health benefits to this community for decades to come. 

"[This] announcement is evidence of EPA's efforts to prioritize actions to protect public health and address environmental impacts in communities who have historically been left out of the conversation and overburdened by pollution," Cash added. "I am proud of this collaborative effort and the progress that we are making."

"Thanks to the support of the EPA, the DEP, and our tireless advocates at the federal and state level, we are able to continue making long-needed infrastructure improvements and creating a more sustainable school system," Coogan said. "These grants, plain and simple, ensure that generations of Fall River residents will grow up in a cleaner, healthier community."