Michael S. Regan 16th Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency | Official Website
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $250,000 in cash prizes for the winners of the Small Communities — Big Challenges Prize Competition. The competition recognized local governments across five states for their innovative strategies in engaging rural communities to identify and address environmental and public health needs.
"EPA recognizes that rural communities face unique environmental and public health challenges," said Chris Frey, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. "The local governmental winners of this challenge are working with their communities to deliver exemplary science-based approaches to address local environmental and public health issues collaboratively."
Theresa Segovia, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, emphasized the importance of equitable access to resources: "Environmental justice at its core ensures that anyone, regardless of zip code, has equitable access to resources. This competition helps deliver those resources to rural communities and their local governments while enhancing EPA’s knowledge of the barriers they face. Our sincere congratulations to the winners."
Eight prizes were awarded: $35,000 each for the top four winning teams and $27,500 each for the other four winning teams. Additionally, one representative from each team received a 1-year National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) membership. The selected projects focused on various local environmental challenges such as water quality, indoor air quality, radon levels, food waste, and recycling.
The “Small Communities, Big Challenges” competition is a collaborative effort between EPA; the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies; the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials; the National Association of County and City Health Officials; and NEHA.
The SCBC winners are:
- Clay County Health Department (Clay County, W.Va.) for Meeting the Clay County Community Where They Are On Plastic Recycling.
- Dunn County Land & Water Conservation Division (Dunn County, Wis.) for Dunn County, Wisconsin—Groundwater Contamination Study.
- Florida Department of Health (Orange County, Fla.) for Building on Bithlo’s Transformation.
- Logan County Health District (Logan County, Ohio) for Covid-19 Indoor Air Quality In Area School Districts.
- Marathon County Conservation Planning and Zoning Department (Marathon County, Wis.) for Using the “Marathon Method” to Tackle Elevated Nitrates in Municipal Drinking Water Supplies.
- Oconto County Public Health (Oconto County, Wis.) for Radon Testing in the North Woods—What is That? I Could Have That?
- Whatcom County Health and Community Services (Whatcom Wash.) for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Foothills Region Through Creative Food Recovery “Freedges.”
- Whitman County Public Health (Whitman County Wash.) for 2023 Lower Snake River HAB Response.
