Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Maryland has been selected to receive a of $425,000 pollution prevention grant through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, a key pillar of Bidenomics. EPA has selected the Maryland Department of the Environment to receive the funding, which was made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to develop and adopt practices that prevent pollution at the source in local communities.

Maryland Department of the Environment’s (MDE) proposed project will provide technical assistance to environmental services and maintenance staff working in nursing homes and senior living settings to equitably increase the use of Safer Choice–certified products in disadvantaged communities. Technical assistance will include developing and implementing replicable workforce training programs, as well as audit tools focused on reducing use of products containing caustic and toxic chemicals. The proposed project will improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities by using green cleaning products and improving indoor air quality in nursing homes and senior living settings.   

“Achieving lasting environmental justice requires community-driven solutions boosted by federal resources,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “President Biden has secured historic levels of funding to address environmental harms in vulnerable communities under his Investing in America agenda. These dollars have supercharged our ability to empower a wide range of businesses from across the country to deploy solutions that prevent pollution while strengthening economic growth.”  

“This funding to Maryland Department of the Environment is yet another investment the Biden-Harris Administration is making to improve the health and future of communities across Maryland,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “Getting businesses committed to improving peoples’ lives and reducing pollution is helping create healthier, stronger and more sustainable communities.” 

“Marylanders in low-income and minority neighborhoods have disproportionately borne the burden of pollution for too many years,” said Senator Ben Cardin. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we finally have resources to correct this imbalance by reducing pollution to improve health and economic outcomes. This is an important step as we continue working to better support underserved communities.”

“The pandemic provided a stark reminder of how cleaning products play a key role in protecting public health, particularly when it comes to vulnerable older Americans in nursing homes. These federal resources will support our state’s important efforts to promote the use of safer cleaning supplies in elder care settings, which is good for the health of Maryland’s seniors, their care teams, and our environment,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen.

“This grant will help reduce exposure to harsh chemicals used in cleaning products at nursing homes and senior living facilities,” said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain. “Environmental justice is about creating healthy outcomes for some of our most vulnerable and underserved residents. This is a step forward in the right direction.”

The Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products grant program will assist businesses to increase the supply, demand, and use of safer and more sustainable products, such as those certified by EPA’s Safer Choice program, or that conform to EPA’s Recommendations for Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing. 

EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

Ensuring greater availability and use of safer and more sustainable products can reduce harmful chemical exposures and their human health and the environmental impacts in disadvantaged communities and create a more sustainable and accessible marketplace. These efforts will continue to benefit businesses and communities across the nation by capturing what works and what can be adjusted in other communities. Recipients will share successful practices that are new or not widely known, as well as lessons learned, so that future businesses and communities can continue to innovate.

EPA anticipates awarding the grant once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.

Background:

The United States generates millions of tons of pollution each year and spends billions of dollars per year controlling this pollution. Once in our environment, this pollution harms human and environmental health, which disproportionally impacts underserved communities. Preventing pollution at the source, also known as P2 or source reduction, rather than managing waste after it is produced, is an important part of the solution landscape, and advances a sustainable infrastructure that supports local economies while better protecting public health and the environment. P2 practices can reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, conserve natural resources, and reduce cleanup and financial costs for businesses, particularly for waste management and environmental liability. Practicing P2 is essential for protecting public health and improving environmental conditions in and around disadvantaged communities that have long been overburdened by pollution.

Between 2011-2021, EPA’s Pollution Prevention program has issued nearly 500 grants totaling more than $50 million, which have helped businesses identify, develop and adopt P2 approaches. These approaches have resulted in eliminating 19.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, saving 49 billion gallons of water, reducing 917 million pounds of hazardous materials and pollutants, and saving more than $2.2 billion for business.

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure is boosting these efforts by providing a historic $100 million to support the program’s continued efforts. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, state and Tribal programs that are awarded grants will not be required to provide matching funds, which has helped expand access to these resources and broadened the applicant pool.

Read more about P2 and the P2 Grant Program.

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