EPA Announces $500 Million Loan to Modernize Wastewater and Drinking Water Infrastructure in New Jersey

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $500 million loan to the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank to modernize wastewater and drinking water systems serving over 10 million people throughout New Jersey. This is the first loan issued through the State Infrastructure Financing Authority Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (SWIFIA) program, which provides loans exclusively to state infrastructure financing authority borrowers, commonly known as state revolving fund programs.

“The EPA is thrilled to announce our first SWIFIA loan to New Jersey, a state that is making great strides in utilizing water infrastructure investments to improve access to clean, safe water for all residents,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “With EPA’s low-interest WIFIA loan, New Jersey will invest in over 90 communities across the Garden State and create about 16,000 jobs while saving approximately $62.5 million. The Biden Administration is proud to expand our successful WIFIA program to now offer dedicated loans to state infrastructure financing authorities.”

Thanks to EPA’s SWIFIA loan and funding from the New Jersey State Revolving Fund provided by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, over 90 communities across the Garden State will be able to implement critical water infrastructure projects — remediating contaminated groundwater, replacing lead service lines, and installing filtration systems to protect drinking water from PFAS contamination. These infrastructure investments will help communities maintain compliance with regulatory requirements, manage flooding, and improve climate change resiliency. Projects that will receive SWIFIA funding are located throughout the state, including in 36 small communities and 39 disadvantaged communities.

“From critical resilience projects to the replacement of lead service lines, New Jersey remains at the forefront of innovative water infrastructure solutions,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “The EPA’s SWIFIA loan will further solidify New Jersey’s status as a national model for water infrastructure, which serves as the foundation for healthy communities. In addition to helping our state secure safe, healthy, and efficient wastewater and drinking water systems for all New Jerseyans, the EPA’s support will also help generate good-paying jobs in our expanding water workforce.”

“Rebuilding New Jersey’s aging water and wastewater infrastructure and expanding access to clean, safe water while creating good paying jobs is exactly the type of smart investment our communities and environment need,” said Senator Bob Menendez. “I’m proud to have fought for many of the provisions in the bipartisan America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, which created SWIFIA, and will benefit millions of New Jersey families up and down the state with essential funding for state revolving fund programs. I thank the Biden Administration for recognizing this critical opportunity and choosing New Jersey as the first state in the country to receive a SWIFIA loan, which will ultimately have positive life-changing impacts for communities throughout the Garden State.”

“This historic infusion of federal funds will help New Jersey implement vital water infrastructure projects,” said Senator Cory Booker. “I have championed programs to ensure every American has access to safe, clean drinking water. I am excited the EPA is issuing its first SWIFIA loan to New Jersey. This funding will create hundreds of jobs and advance water infrastructure projects to address contaminants in drinking water, install water filtration systems, and replace lead pipes across our state.”

The SWIFIA program is housed within EPA’s WIFIA program. SWIFIA loans allow state infrastructure finance authorities to offer additional low-cost financing to communities and accelerate important water infrastructure projects.

Learn about submitting a letter of interest for a WIFIA or SWIFIA loan.

Learn more about the SWIFIA program.

Background

Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan and guarantee program administered by EPA. The WIFIA program’s aim is to accelerate investment in the nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects.

The WIFIA program has an active pipeline of pending WIFIA and SWIFIA applications for projects that will result in billions of dollars in water infrastructure investment and thousands of jobs. With this loan closing, EPA’s WIFIA program has announced 96 loans that are providing $17 billion in credit assistance to help finance $36 billion for water infrastructure while creating 122,000 jobs and saving ratepayers over $5 billion.

EPA is currently accepting letters of interest for WIFIA and SWIFIA loans. In June, EPA announced the availability of $5.5 billion under the 2022 WIFIA Notice of Funding Availability and an additional $1 billion under the SWIFIA program. Together, this newly available funding will support more than $13 billion in water infrastructure projects while creating more than 40,000 jobs.

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EPA Releases New PFAS Analytic Tools

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a new interactive webpage, called the “PFAS Analytic Tools,” which provides information about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) across the country. This information will help the public, researchers, and other stakeholders better understand potential PFAS sources in their communities. The PFAS Analytic Tools bring together multiple sources of information in one spot with mapping, charting, and filtering functions, allowing the public to see where testing has been done and what level of detections were measured.

“EPA’s PFAS Analytic Tools webpage brings together for the first time data from multiple sources in an easy to use format,” said John Dombrowski, Director of EPA’s Office of Compliance. “This webpage will help communities gain a better understanding of local PFAS sources.”

EPA’s PFAS Analytic Tools draws from multiple national databases and reports to consolidate information in one webpage. The PFAS Analytic Tools includes information on Clean Water Act PFAS discharges from permitted sources, reported spills containing PFAS constituents, facilities historically manufacturing or importing PFAS, federally owned locations where PFAS is being investigated, transfers of PFAS-containing waste, PFAS detection in natural resources such as fish or surface water, and drinking water testing results. The tools cover a broad list of PFAS and represent EPA’s ongoing efforts to provide the public with access to the growing amount of testing information that is available.

Because the regulatory framework for PFAS chemicals is emerging, data users should pay close attention to the caveats found within the site so that the completeness of the data sets is fully understood. Rather than wait for complete national data to be available, EPA is publishing what is currently available while information continues to fill in. Users should be aware that some of the datasets are complete at the national level whereas others are not. For example, EPA has included a national inventory for drinking water testing at larger public water utilities. That information was provided between 2013-2016. To include more recent data, EPA also compiled other drinking water datasets that are available online in select states. For the subset of states and tribes publishing PFAS testing results in drinking water, the percentage of public water supplies tested varied significantly from state to state. Because of the differences in testing and reporting across the country, the data should not be used for comparisons across cities, counties, or states. 

To improve the availability of the data in the future, EPA has published its fifth Safe Drinking Water Act Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule to expand on the initial drinking water data reporting that was conducted in 2013-2016. Beginning in 2023, this expansion will bring the number of drinking water PFAS samples collected by regulatory agencies into the millions. EPA also significantly expanded the Toxics Release Inventory reporting requirements in recent years to over 175 PFAS substances — and more information should be received in 2023. Additionally, EPA’s proposal to designate PFOA and PFOS as Hazardous Substances would also improve data on spill or release incidents reported to the Emergency Response Notification System. These reporting enhancements will be incorporated into future versions of the interactive webpage. EPA will continue working toward the expansion of data sets in the PFAS Analytic Tools as a way to improve collective knowledge about PFAS occurrence in the environment.

See the new PFAS Analytic Tools.

EPA is planning a demonstration of the tool for Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at 1pm EST. Register for the webinar.

Learn more about EPA’s work to address PFAS.

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U.S. EPA’s ENERGY STAR Program Advances Energy Management through Smart Homes

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announces the first mass-market Smart Home Energy Management System (SHEMS) to earn ENERGY STAR certification. With smart home products gaining in popularity across the country, this certification gives homeowners and renters nationwide the ability to choose systems that help them simplify the management of networked products to save energy, save money and protect the climate.

“In today’s world just about everything is connected, including many of the household products we use each and every day,” said U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan. “With smart systems that earn the ENERGY STAR, American households will be able to track and automate everything from their lighting to their thermostat use to optimize for energy savings that lead to financial savings and a reduced carbon footprint.”

ENERGY STAR certified Smart Home Energy Management Systems enable consumers to enjoy the “smart home” experience, with the added benefit of optimized energy efficiency. Certified systems allow users to control and track the use of products and devices ranging from their lighting, home entertainment, and appliances to their EV charger or solar panels, all from one centralized management system. Certified systems offer a variety of energy-saving attributes, including standby limits on all required devices, grid communication capabilities to enable demand response functionality, utility time of use pricing integration to run appliances or EV charging off peak, and the ability to suggest energy saving actions based on room or home occupancy. The value of an ENERGY STAR certified SHEMS is that it simplifies your efforts to save energy use and allows you to reap the full benefits of home efficiency regardless of your level of personal involvement. Whether you’re a technology and data enthusiast who enjoys a deeper dive into your home energy management or a busy individual who wants to automate your home systems and take energy management off your mental plate, SHEMS allows you to maximize savings.

EPA is pleased to announce that Samsung SmartThings is the first platform of its kind to earn the ENERGY STAR certification for a Smart Home Energy Management System (SHEMS). SmartThings creates meaningful experiences that are effortlessly integrated across any phone, any device, and any brand. With ENERGY STAR certification of the new Samsung SmartThings Home Energy service, simplified home energy management is now available nationwide, and with integrations that span thousands of partner brands, this platform allows you to build a smart home as unique as you.

About ENERGY STAR certified Smart Home Energy Management Systems (SHEMS)

The ENERGY STAR SHEMS specification defines a home energy management system that will enhance the consumer “smart home” experience by delivering meaningful energy savings in addition to the comfort and convenience associated with smart home devices. EPA created this opportunity to promote energy management in the smart home space as the market continues to grow and evolve. By providing a national platform for smart energy management that is scalable, customizable and can be leveraged by a variety of stakeholders, EPA hopes to foster effective methods of smart home energy management.

The SHEMS program is designed to facilitate untapped residential energy savings associated with occupancy-based optimization control of key devices and the introduction of additional energy-saving products into the home. Key features of the SHEMS performance criteria include:

• ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostat, ENERGY STAR certified lighting and plug load control.
• Standby limits on all required devices.
• Ability to receive and utilize occupancy information to produce energy-saving actions (e.g. schedules, suggested actions, service initiated actions like adjusting the heat when no one is home).
• User access to energy use information to facilitate energy-saving behavior.
• A daily kWh budget for operating lights while away.
• Grid communication to enable demand response functionality.
• Integration with utility dynamic (time of use) pricing schedules.

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations—including about 40% of the Fortune 500®—rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped American families and businesses avoid more than $450 billion in energy costs and achieve 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions.

More background information about ENERGY STAR.

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EPA Region 7 Encourages Radon Testing During National Radon Action Month

LENEXA, KAN. (JAN. 4, 2023) – During January, EPA Region 7 will hold six outreach events at Kansas City Public Library branches in Missouri to raise awareness of radon exposure and encourage residents to have their homes tested for the presence of radon. January marks National Radon Action Month.

Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas that cannot be seen or smelled, is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers in the U.S. and is responsible for about 21,000 U.S. deaths each year. Jackson County, Missouri, is in EPA Radon Zone One, meaning homes in the county have the highest potential to test above the recommended radon level assigned by EPA.

“We urge everyone, especially those residing in areas designated as EPA Radon Zone One, to protect their health and their loved ones by testing their homes for the presence of radon gas, which is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmoking Americans,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister.

EPA Region 7 staff will be available at the following Kansas City Public Library branches to discuss the dangers of radon, encourage radon testing, and offer no-cost radon testing kits (as supplies allow):

• Thursday, Jan. 5, 1 to 5 p.m., at Central Library, 14 W. 10th St., Kansas City, MO 64105
• Thursday, Jan. 12, 2 to 6 p.m., at Trails West Branch, 11401 East 23rd St. S, Independence, MO 64052
• Saturday, Jan. 21, noon to 4 p.m., at Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St., Kansas City, MO 64112
• Tuesday, Jan. 24, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Southeast Branch, 6242 Swope Pkwy., Kansas City, MO 64130
• Saturday, Jan. 28, noon to 4 p.m., at Waldo Branch, 201 E. 75th St., Kansas City, MO 64114
• Tuesday, Jan. 31, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.,  at Westport Branch, 118 Westport Rd., Kansas City, MO 64111

Radon testing kits can also be found online or in home improvement stores. National Radon Program Services at Kansas State University offers test kits for purchase online.

Background

Most homes throughout EPA Region 7 are located in areas designated as EPA Radon Zone One or Two, indicating high or moderate potential for elevated radon levels. EPA Region 7 encompasses Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and nine tribal nations.

A map of EPA Radon Zones was developed in 1993 to identify areas of the U.S. with the greatest potential for elevated indoor radon levels, based on indoor radon measurement data, geology, aerial radioactivity, soil parameters, and foundation types. To view a map of EPA’s Radon Zones in your state, visit EPA’s website.

For information on the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ radon program, visit the Missouri DHSS website.

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