Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Infrastructure

Sewell announces $52 million in EPA funding for Alabama drinking water

This funding was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

STOCK
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Congresswoman Terri Sewell, AL-07, yesterday, announced that the State of Alabama will receive $52,638,000 from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address emerging contaminants like Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Drinking Water across Alabama. This funding was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is part of the EPA’s Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Grant Program and will promote access to safe and clean water in small, rural, and disadvantaged communities while supporting local economies. 

“I am thrilled that the Environmental Protection Agency is providing over $52 million to Alabama communities to expand access to clean water in our rural and underserved communities,” said Rep. Terri A. Sewell. “I am proud to be the only member of the Alabama Congressional Delegation to vote in favor of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law because grant programs like this will make a world of difference in the lives of Alabamians. Every American deserves access to safe and clean water, and this investment is a transformative step forward.” 

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $5 billion over five years to help communities that are on the frontlines of PFAS contamination reduce PFAS in drinking water. EPA announced the funds for Alabama as part of an allotment of $2 billion to states and territories that can be used to prioritize infrastructure and source water treatment for pollutants, like PFAS and other emerging contaminants, and to conduct water quality testing.

“EPA’s Emerging Contaminants Grant Program is a solid community investment for the Southeast region,” said EPA Region 4 Administrator Daniel Blackman. “The expansion of safe and clean water access to small, rural, and disadvantaged communities is crucial to the protection of human health and the environment.” 

EPA is also releasing the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant Implementation document. The implementation document provides states and communities with the information necessary to use this funding to address local water quality and public health challenges. These grants will enable communities to improve local water infrastructure and reduce emerging contaminants in drinking water by implementing solutions such as installing necessary treatment solutions.

Thursday’s actions represent a significant milestone within the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitments to combat PFAS pollution and safeguard drinking water, and specifically EPA’s October 2021 PFAS Strategic Roadmap. Under the Roadmap, EPA is working across the agency to protect the public from the health impacts of PFAS. EPA has taken a number of actions to deliver progress on PFAS including:

In addition to this new grant, EPA is also working to propose a PFAS NPDWR in the coming weeks. The draft proposed rule is currently undergoing interagency review and EPA will issue the proposed rule for public comment when it clears the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The agency anticipates finalizing the rule by the end of 2023. Together, with Rep. Sewell’s announcement, these actions highlight EPA’s commitments outlined in the PFAS Strategic Roadmap to protect public health and the environment from the impacts of PFAS.  They also illustrate the benefits of investing in water—protecting public health and the environment, addressing key challenges facing communities, and creating jobs.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

The Alabama Political Reporter is a daily political news site devoted to Alabama politics. We provide accurate, reliable coverage of policy, elections and government.

More from APR

Congress

Sewell secured an additional $3.3 million for two community projects in the 7th Congressional District.

Infrastructure

From the funding, more than $4 million will be used to rehabilitate water tanks.

Infrastructure

ADEM will reimburse the county for $1,355,342 of the cost of repaving 2.9 miles of the road.

Congress

Sewell will announce a $1 million Department of Justice grant that she helped secure for the Birmingham Board of Education.