EPA Announces Kansas Selectee to Receive Nearly $600K in Grants to Help Businesses Prevent Pollution

October 31, 2024

LENEXA, KAN. (OCT. 31, 2024) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Kansas State University has been selected to receive nearly$600,000 in grants to provide technical assistance to businesses to develop and adopt pollution prevention (P2) practices in local communities.

• Kansas State University (KSU) was selected to receive $231,553 in traditional P2 funding. KSU will identify food, beverage, chemical, auto, aerospace, and metal manufacturers releasing toxic chemicals, such as acetaldehyde, n-hexane, ammonia, toluene, benzene, ethylbenzene, and heavy metals, using EPA's Toxics Release Inventory. This grant focuses on providing technical assistance in toxics-use reduction, reducing water and hazardous waste, lowering energy and water usage, and facilitating an internship program that pairs Kansas university students with local companies to work on sustainability projects.
• KSU was also selected to receive $350,000 in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) P2 funding. KSU has identified Kansas businesses under all five National Emphasis Areas (NEAs) releasing toxic chemicals, using EPA's Toxics Release Inventory. The focus of this grant is to provide technical assistance in toxics-use reduction using the Toxics Use Reduction Institute's tools; promote a green brewery initiative to help breweries adopt P2 practices; and host events to foster collaboration, raise awareness, and engage disadvantaged communities and local businesses.

"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."

"We are proud to partner with the EPA on two grants to provide P2 technical assistance to businesses across Kansas, with a focus on disadvantaged and environmental justice communities, said KSU Pollution Prevention Institute's Dr. Cris Brazil. "The P2 grant will support businesses through on-site assistance, training, and tools to help them adopt sustainable practices, including a student intern program. The P2 BIL efforts will support key industries across all five NEAs, with a focus on breweries, while engaging EJ communities through education and collaboration, fostering long-term economic and environmental benefits for businesses and communities throughout Kansas."

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 2022and the second round of 24 awards was announced in October 2023.

The list of selections can be found below, and the selected project summariescan be found on EPA's Pollution Prevention page.

Read more about P2 and EPA's P2 Grant program.

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