May—June 2023 Newsletter

Summer grasslands at Mount Wanda, a nature and hiking area that is part of the John Muir National Historic Site.
Mount Wanda, John Muir National Historic Site, Contra Costa County, California

Investing in America

Martha Guzman and Phoenix, Arizona, Mayor Kate Gallego
Left to right: Phoenix, Arizona, Mayor Kate Gallego; Town of Superior, Arizona, Mayor Mila Besich; Regional Administrator Martha Guzman; Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Director Karen Peters.

Regional Administrator Martha Guzman and Phoenix, Arizona, Mayor Kate Gallego recently hosted an event to highlight a $2 million grant funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The grant will allow the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to leverage funds in economically distressed areas to bring investment and revitalization, including affordable housing and community services, to underserved areas of Arizona. EPA is also offering new BIL investments for communities’ drinking water systems. BIL funding is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.

A New Advisory Council

Building upon EPA’s robust children’s health and environmental education programs, the agency is now seeking members for a new National Environmental Youth Advisory Council (NEYAC). The NEYAC is an opportunity for young people between the ages of 16 and 29. This group of young leaders from across the country will provide advice and recommendations on environmental issues directly to the Administrator of EPA. The NEYAC will include 16 members, and anyone can nominate themselves or someone else. Selected applicants who become members are appointed to NEYAC for a two-year term.

Celebrating Environmental Education

School Board President Anthony Parreira, Regional Administrator Martha Guzman, Rep. Duarte’s field representative Christian Santos, Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators Winner, Sergio de Alba, School Board Member Marlene Smith, School Principal Zelda Días-Harper.
Left to right: School Board President Anthony Parreira, Regional Administrator Martha Guzman, Rep. Duarte’s field representative Christian Santos, Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators Winner, Sergio de Alba, School Board Member Marlene Smith, School Principal Zelda Días-Harper.

Environmental education is a priority for EPA in the Pacific Southwest. Regional Administrator Martha Guzman has been celebrating youth and educator leaders in their communities. She recently met with a Presidential Award winner in California who provides education on drought and water conservation; at Miano Elementary School in Los Banos, California, Sergio De Alba created an education program centered on community values leading to the creation of the school’s new ecosystem-themed gardens.

 

Enforcement Update

Defueling and Closing Red Hill

EPA has finalized a Consent Order with the Department of the Navy and the Defense Logistics Agency that requires actions to ensure the safe defueling and closure of the Navy’s Red Hill Fuel Facility in Hawaii. This is the latest step in EPA’s oversight of the response to the November 2021 fuel release at Red Hill, as well as the process to defuel and close down Red Hill. The new Consent Order includes provisions to ensure that the Navy properly operates the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam drinking water system. "This Consent Order provides a critical tool for EPA oversight of the expeditious and safe defueling and closure of the Red Hill fuel storage facility and the drinking water system at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam,” said Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “The order reflects our agency’s commitment to ensuring that communities facing difficult and prolonged environmental challenges have an impactful voice at the table as EPA works to resolve them.”

EPA’s Pacific Southwest (Region 9) implements and enforces federal environmental laws in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands, and 148 Tribal Nations.

New Support for the San Francisco Bay

EPA has added historic new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to the San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund for projects to improve land and water, and benefit underserved communities through the San Francisco Bay area.

New Carbon Pollution Standards to Tackle the Climate Crisis and Protect Public Health

EPA has proposed new carbon pollution standards for coal and natural gas-fired power plants that will protect public health, reduce harmful pollutants and deliver up to $85 billion in climate and public health benefits over the next two decades. The proposal for coal and new natural gas power plants would avoid up to 617 million metric tons of total carbon dioxide (CO2) through 2042, which is equivalent to reducing the annual emissions of 137 million passenger vehicles, roughly half the cars in the United States. Through 2042, EPA estimates the net climate and health benefits of the standards on new gas and existing coal-fired power plants are up to $85 billion. News Release

Public Involvement

EPA in the Pacific Southwest encourages public engagement in addressing environmental issues through public meetings, events and other opportunities for public participation.

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Last updated on February 11, 2025