U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7 - 11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

EPA Announces Missouri Selectees to Receive Nearly $700K in Grants to Help Businesses Prevent Pollution
 

Contact Information: Jonathan Klusmeyer, 913-343-2991, klusmeyer.jonathan@epa.gov 

LENEXA, KAN. (OCT. 31, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Missouri University of Science and Technology and Missouri State University have been selected to collectively receive nearly $700,000 in grants to provide technical assistance to businesses to develop and adopt pollution prevention (P2) practices in local communities.

• Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) was selected to receive $349,712. Missouri S&T has identified mineral mining operations as a P2 opportunity. The focus of the project will be providing technical assistance to replace conventional flocculants used in cylindrical tank thickeners (e.g., hydrolyzed polyacrylamide) with safer and more biodegradable flocculants (e.g., chitosan from crustacean shells, guar gum, starch-based polymers). The technical assistance plan will also include enhancing filtration efficiency and filtration design by using advanced materials and filtration technologies to reduce water use and toxic releases.
• Missouri State University (MSU) was selected to receive $336,774. MSU has partnered with the Missouri Association of Manufacturers and other organizations to identify and develop an outreach program to businesses within four of the National Emphasis Areas: food and beverage, automotive, aerospace, and metal manufacturing. MSU will provide P2 technical assistance and training to manufacturing companies in communities with environmental justice concerns and identify green chemistry alternatives.

“Pollution prevention benefits the environment and creates healthier communities by decreasing waste and conserving our resources,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister. “These funds will support innovative projects that enhance sustainability and promote cleaner neighborhoods throughout the Heartland.”

"The escalating demand for critical minerals essential for a net-zero economy is increasing mining activities, leading to vast quantities of environmentally hazardous tailings,” said Dr. Guang Xu, associate professor, Missouri S&T Department of Mining Engineering. “These tailings necessitate effective management to prevent severe ecological and health risks, including the potential for catastrophic dam failures and extensive environmental contamination. This project focuses on advanced dewatering techniques to minimize tailings volume and mitigate associated risks. Employing methods such as dry-stack tailings reduces the footprint of tailings storage facilities (TSFs) and the likelihood of toxic discharges. Alongside reducing operational costs and enhancing the sustainability of mineral processing, this project will provide comprehensive technical assistance to the industry, including research on safer chemical reagents; on-site and off-site consultation; and specialized training to promote safer, more efficient tailings management practices."

In total, EPA announced 48 selectees across the country that will collectively receive nearly $19 million in grants to support states, tribal nations, and U.S. territories. Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, nearly half of the funds awarded this year were made available with no cost share/match requirement.

Pollution prevention, also known as P2 or source reduction, is any practice that reduces, eliminates, or prevents pollution at its source prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal. Preventing pollution at the source rather than managing waste afterward is an important way to support American businesses’ efforts to reduce costs, while protecting communities from exposure to toxic chemicals and conserving natural resources. These practices are essential for protecting health, improving environmental conditions – including in and around disadvantaged communities – and preserving natural resources like wetlands, groundwater sources, and other critical ecosystems.

Between 2011 and 2022, EPA’s Pollution Prevention program issued over 500 grants totaling more than $54 million, which have helped businesses identify, develop, and adopt P2 approaches. These approaches have resulted in 31.9 billion kilowatt-hours in energy savings, eliminated 20.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, saved 52 billion gallons of water, reduced 1 billion pounds of hazardous materials, and saved businesses more than $2.3 billion.

EPA expects to award funds once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied. Once awarded, selected grantees will document and share P2 best practices that they identify and develop through these grants, so that others can replicate these practices and outcomes. Each selected grantee will also develop at least one case study during the grant period on P2 practices that are new or not widely known or adopted, or where detailed information on the P2 practices could benefit other businesses or P2 technical assistance providers.

The grants funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be fully funded upon being awarded, with individual grant awards as high as $350,000. Grants that are a part of the traditional P2 grants program will be funded over a two-year funding cycle and require a cost share/match of 50%. EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal to deliver 40% of the overall benefits from certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

Background

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law made a historic $100 million investment in EPA’s P2 program, more than doubling the funding for P2 grants. The first round of 39 awards funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was announced in September 2022 and the second round of 24 awards was announced in October 2023.

The list of selections can be found below, and the selected project summaries can be found on EPA’s Pollution Prevention website.

Read more about P2 and EPA’s P2 Grant Program.

# # #

Learn more about EPA Region 7

Visit the Region 7 Media page