EnviroBytes, a Summary of Issues and Events for the Week Ending August 25, 2006
WATERSHED ORGANIZATIONS AWARDED GRANTS FOR BAY RESTORATION EFFORTS
The EPA Mid-Atlantic Region Chesapeake Bay Program Office and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded more than $2.6 million in small watershed grants to local governments and community-based organizations of the Chesapeake Bay watershed to help improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
The 68 recipients stretch from upstate New York to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. Additional information may be found at: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/index.cfm
TOWN OF BLACKSBURG, VA COMMITS TO EPA WASTE MINIMIZATION PROGRAM
Mid-Atlantic Region Administrator Donald S. Welsh recognized Blacksburg, Va. as the first town/municipality in the nation to become a partner in the National Partnership for Environmental Priorities at a public event in Blacksburg, Va. He also presented Blacksburg with a $95,000 check for promoting EPA's Resource Conservation Challenge program for waste minimization. The National Partnership for Environmental Priorities Program encourages organizations to form voluntary partnerships with EPA to reduce the use or release of 31 Priority Chemicals. EPA established a National Waste Minimization goal to act as a measurement of program success.
EPA MID-ATLANTIC REGION HELPS DELAWARE COLLECT RECYCLABLES AT DELAWARE STATE FAIR
At the recent Delaware State Fair, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the the Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA) collected nearly 7,000 pounds of aluminum and plastic containers and corrugated cardboard using 44 sixty-eight gallon recycling containers. AmeriCorps volunteers helped DNREC and DSWA collect and transport the recyclables. The EPA Mid-Atlantic Region's Solid Waste Program also provided the funds to purchase 33 of the 100 recycling containers which Delaware will use for recycling at the State Fair, Dover Downs, and various festivals throughout the State.
EPA GRANT SUPPORTS JOB TRAINING IN BALTIMORE
The EPA Mid-Atlantic Region awarded a $200,000 Brownfields job training grant to Civic Works, a Baltimore, Md.- based nonprofit community services organization in October 2005. Civic Works reported that through the grant, 33 trainees graduated this spring and 29 were placed in environmental cleanup jobs. Civic Works recruited unemployed and underemployed residents from Brownfields impacted neighborhoods (most with only a high school degree or GED) and provided them with training in environmental awareness, asbestos removal, lead abatement and life skills. Graduates received resume assistance, and placement support.
EPA ANNOUNCES BROWNFIELDS JOB TRAINING GRANT APPLICATIONS
The EPA Office of Brownfields Cleanup and Revitalization announced its jobs training grant solicitation proposal to provide qualified applicants with environmental job training in the assessment, remediation or preparation of Brownfields sites. Applicants must serve a community that currently receives or has received financial assistance from EPA for Brownfields activities. Maximum funding is $200,000 per proposal. Deadline for applications is Sept. 8. For more information, check the following web site at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/job.htm
STAUNTON (VA) MAN WINS PROFESSIONAL OPERATOR EXCELLENCE REGIONAL AWARD
EPA Mid-Atlantic regional staff presented the EPA professional operator excellence award for certified operators of drinking water systems to Mr. Christopher DeWald, for his outstanding leadership and performance that helped the Staunton Va. plant qualify for the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program. EPA developed the operator excellence award program to highlight public water systems; recognize outstanding performance by public water system plant operators; and to increase public awareness of the important role the certified operator plays in protecting public health. The award is the first of its kind in the mid-Atlantic region and will be presented annually to certified operators.
PA ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF $4 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDS FOR ALTERNATIVE FUELS PROJECTS
The Pennsylvania alternative fuel incentive grant program finances projects that reduce Pennsylvania’s dependence on imported oil through the use of home-grown alternative fuels and by encouraging innovative energy technologies and use of fuels indigenous to Pennsylvania. An eligible project proposal can be for the incremental cost to purchase biodiesel or E85 ethanol, or to purchase/install biodiesel or E85 refueling equipment. The solicitation ends October 2. For more information go to the DEP web site: http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/enintech/cwp/view.asp?a=1412&q=502176
MID-ATLANTIC REGION AGENCIES RECEIVE FUNDING TO CONTINUE THEIR FINE PARTICLE AIR QUALITY MONITORING PROGRAM
EPA Mid-Atlantic Region state and local air agencies received $2,864,798 to enable the agencies to continue their PM 2.5 air quality monitoring program under the Clean Air Act. The PM 2.5 monitoring grant also assists in planning, developing, establishing, improving and maintaining adequate support for the prevention and control of air pollution. PM2.5 particles are air pollutants with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less, small enough to invade even the smallest airways. These particles generally come from activities that burn fossil fuels, such as traffic, smelting, and metal processing.
EPA MID-ATLANTIC REGION REVIEWS PROGRESS OF 2006 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE GRANT IN W. VIRGINIA
EPA mid-Atlantic region staff visited the Southern Appalachian Labor School in Beards Fork, Fayette County, W.Va. , a grantee under EPA's 2006 Environmental Justice grant program, to assess the grant's progress. The grantee's funds are being used to provide test kits to determine the relative levels of contamination in the old coal industry camp houses now occupied by retired miners and other low-income families. The grantee is also working with the Department of Housing and Urban Development using at-risk youth to rebuild and renovate portions of these houses free of charge to the residents.
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