News Releases from Region 03
EPA Announces Award of $21 Million in Funding for State and Tribal Environmental Priorities for MD
Funding to Maryland will support statewide environmental work
PHILADELPHIA (March 4, 2020) –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today the state of Maryland is among the nation’s states and Tribes to receive a portion of $21 million in Multipurpose Grants for addressing their environmental priorities. Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) will use EPA’s multipurpose grant funding to complement existing environmental protection efforts.
“EPA recognizes the important role of states and local governments in protecting the health and future of our communities,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio. “This funding enables partners like Maryland to carry out activities that address their environmental and public health priorities.”
EPA’s Multipurpose Grant (MPG) program for States and Tribes supports states, tribes and territories in addressing high-priority environmental issues. Recognizing that environmental challenges differ due to variations in geography, population density, and other factors, this program provides EPA’s co-regulator partners with the flexibility to target funds to their highest priority efforts to protect human health and the environment. With this grant funding, states and tribes are supporting a range of projects, including: addressing contaminants such as PFAS and lead, streamlining permitting processes, performing inspections, updating air and water monitoring equipment, testing radon in schools, and conducting outreach and education in areas such as pesticides application and harmful algal blooms.
MDE will use its $189,927 Multipurpose Grant for statewide programs to: support ongoing environmental management efforts to increase the number of people breathing cleaner air; reduce risk from toxic air pollutants; improve water quality; provide safe drinking water; clean-up and reuse contaminated land; manage hazardous wastes properly; reduce chemical and biological risks; and, improve environmental compliance through monitoring and enforcement.