(AGENPARL) – gio 25 maggio 2023 Issued: May 25, 2023 (4:04pm EDT)
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EPA Administrator Regan Announces Critical Steps to Strengthen Technical
Assistance and Provide Support Following West Virginia Journey to Justice Tour
WASHINGTON (May 25, 2023) – Following through on his commitment to deliver
solutions to the people of McDowell County, West Virginia, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan announced today a series of
initial actions that respond directly to the concerns he saw and heard on the
ground during his visit to the state in December 2022, which marked the
Administrator’s third Journey to Justice tour.
During his visit, Administrator Regan toured a hundred-year-old drinking water
plant in need of repair, visited with McDowell County residents who only
recently connected to their town’s main water line after years of facing
inadequate access to water infrastructure, and spent time with volunteers at a
community food bank who have employed innovative, community-driven solutions
to provide clean drinking water for their neighbors.
“Communities like McDowell County once powered our nation and helped cement
America’s competitiveness, and we owe it to the people of West Virginia to
show our support by prioritizing the longstanding infrastructure challenges
they face,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “During my time in
McDowell, I met with folks who’ve struggled for years with access to basic
water infrastructure. This is unacceptable in the United States of America,
and that’s why President Biden has made investing in water infrastructure a
cornerstone of his historic policy agenda. I promised the good people of
McDowell that we would work hand in hand to address these generational
challenges, and these initial actions are just the beginning of that
partnership. EPA will continue to work closely with our state, local, and
federal partners to provide even more resources and build long-term capacity
in McDowell County and in the southern coal fields of West Virginia.”
“For years, the WVDEP has worked to provide access to clean water and
address environmental and public health concerns in many communities in
McDowell County,” said West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
(WVDEP) Cabinet Secretary Harold Ward. “There is still much work to be done
and we are committed to expanding our partnership with the U.S. EPA and
engaging with community stakeholders to find additional avenues and resources
so that we can build on the progress we've made in southern West Virginia.”
The following actions reflect the initial steps EPA is taking following the
Administrator’s Journey to Justice tour in McDowell County, WV:
Community Solutions Coordinator
Beginning fall 2023, EPA will work with state and local agencies in West
Virginia to create a full-time position dedicated to identifying and
expediting eligible resource opportunities across the federal government for
the state’s southern coalfield counties, including McDowell. The Community
Solutions Coordinator will serve as a point of contact for these counties to
accelerate progress, increase investments, and strengthen existing networks in
these areas.
Air Quality Monitoring
Thanks to funding from the American Rescue Plan and President Biden’s
Inflation Reduction Act, Appalachian Voices, an organization committed to
advancing a just transition for Central and Southern Appalachia, is expected
to receive a $118,297 grant to deploy low-cost air quality monitors in
communities with air quality challenges across several states, including West
Virginia. Air quality data will be collected and made publicly available to
foster community engagement around local and regional air quality issues in
communities adjacent to one or more coal mines, coal-fired plants, fossil fuel
export hubs and more. A portion of this funding will be made available to
McDowell County through Appalachia Mountain Flows Corps, a Keystone, West
Virginia-based organization.
Dig Deep Right to Water Community Grant
During Administrator Regan’s Journey to Justice tour, he met with community
members who lack access to basic wastewater infrastructure, many of whom rely
on straight-pipes to carry raw sewage from their homes into local waterways.
To help bolster the community’s wastewater infrastructure, the Dig Deep
Right to Water Project will receive a $495,840 grant, funded through FY 2022
annual appropriations, for a sanitary septic and sewerage service project. Dig
Deep will install approximately 35 onsite sewage systems for properties in
McDowell County that are currently directly discharging to streams. 
Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers
(TCTAC)               
Through EPA’s Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers, which is
designed to help underserved and overburdened communities across the country
access funds from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the
National Wildlife Federation will receive $12 million in grants over five
years to provide community resources and assistance across the Mid-Atlantic
Region. West Virginia State University, a Historically Black College and
University (HBCU), is a partner in this effort and will continue working to
provide additional technical assistance and support to the McDowell County
community – from providing training and other assistance to building
capacity for navigating federal grant application systems, to writing strong
grant proposals, to effectively managing grant funding.
Learn more information about Journey to Justice. 
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