EPA Announces Nebraska Selectee to Receive Nearly $300K in Grants to Help Businesses Prevent Pollution

EPA Announces Nebraska Selectee to Receive Nearly $300K 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 the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been selected to receive nearly$300,000 in grants to provide technical assistance to businesses to develop and adopt pollution prevention (P2) practices in local communities.

• The University of Nebraska-Lincoln was selected to receive $298,650. The university will provide technical assistance to food and beverage, chemical, automotive, and metal manufacturing businesses. The focus will be on identifying toxic chemical alternatives, process optimization, and water and energy conservation. The program will conduct on-site assessments as well as follow-up assessments as needed.

"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 Partners in Pollution Prevention (P3) program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been providing source reduction-focused technical assistance to Nebraska manufacturers using engineering students since 1997,"said Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Dr. Bruce Dvorak. "We are excited to have grant funding to continue to work with Nebraska manufacturers."

Dr. Dvorak explained, "We expect to continue to help manufacturers to reduce their energy and water use and waste production, but also identify additional cost savings including tax exemptions, rebates, and their eligibility for several programs that can provide cost share for replacing energy-inefficient equipment.The proposed tasks will result in at least eight businesses obtaining a detailed P2 assessment from full-summer assistance and two to eight businesses provided with several weeks of assistance and an assessment report. The average implemented impacts from each manufacturer in recent years have been over $189,000 in annual cost reductions, 3.5 million gallons of water annually conserved, and 830 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually reduced."

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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