EPA awards pollution prevention grant to Arizona under infrastructure bill

PHOENIX — The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality will receive a $296,544 grant under President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to limit pollution.

The ADEQ Pollution Prevention Program will aim to ward off or reduce pollution through sustainable business practice development, according to a press release.

The plan involves the design of an online, bilingual training program and resource center for the automotive manufacturing and maintenance industry in Arizona to assist in reducing waste.

“Based on ADEQ’s inspections, there are concerns that repair shops may not be aware of how the environmental regulations apply to them,” Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Waste Programs Division Director Laura L. Malone said in the release.

“This grant will help ADEQ bridge that gap by creating a free online portal along with outreach materials to train and educate employees. This is a great opportunity for our regulated community to see that ADEQ is a resource to assist them and for these facilities to maintain compliance with environmental regulations.”

Goals of the P2 grants are to increase sustainable practices by providing targeted assistance to underserved communities, according to the release.

Examples of such practices in the industrial sector include the implementation of energy conservation practices, reusing materials like drums and using non-toxic chemicals like degreasers and other cleaners, according to the EPA.

Department grantees will be in charge of documenting successful practices and developing case studies on new or lesser-known strategies.

“Providing bilingual pollution prevention training will ultimately reduce waste, conserve resources and fight climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” EPA Regional Administrator Martha Guzman said in the release.

The grant is part of five programs over the next five years funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with future focuses on products, purchasing and supply chains. Grants will be funded at the time of awarding them, according to the release.