|
In this issue:
Program Updates
EPA Announces FY 22-23 Grant Opportunities
On Feb. 9, EPA announced approximately $23 million in two P2 grant funding opportunities for states and tribes, including almost $14 million provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with no cost share/match requirement.
EPA encourages applicants to address environmental justice (EJ) and/or climate pollution in their project(s) and will launch a new P2-EJ Facility Mapping Tool on Feb. 17 that will allow users to identify industrial facilities located in or near communities with EJ concerns. Proposals are due by April 11.
Eligible applicants include states, state entities such as universities, U.S. territories and possessions, and federally recognized tribes and intertribal consortia. Applicants are strongly encouraged to consider partnering with others in the P2 stakeholder community to strengthen their ability to provide P2 technical assistance to businesses and facilitate the development, adoption and dissemination of P2 solutions.
EPA’s national P2 Program will host three webinars for potential applicants and interested stakeholders from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. EST on Feb. 17, 22 and 24. The webinars will review information about the P2 grant program and the application process to help potential applicants submit a high-quality application to EPA for consideration. Additionally, the webinars will include a demonstration of the new P2-EJ Facility Mapping Tool. EPA will provide time for questions and answers.
EPA Releases Updated Resources to Aid Federal Purchasers in meeting Biden-Harris Administration's Sustainability Goals
In support of President Biden’s Executive Order on Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs through Federal Sustainability and the accompanying Federal Sustainability Plan, EPA released two new resources from its Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) program to meet the goal of net-zero emissions from federal procurement by 2050 and help purchasers avoid products which may contain PFAS.
The EPP program helps U.S. federal government purchasers utilize private sector standards and ecolabels to identify and procure environmentally preferable products and services via the Recommendations of Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing. The updated Framework provides a streamlined, transparent and consistent approach to assessing marketplace standards and ecolabels for environmental sustainability and for inclusion into the recommendations.
To learn more about these EPP resources, EPA will host a webinar on from 2-3 p.m. EST on March 2. Please submit questions in advance of the webinar via the box on the registration page.
EPA Advisory Board to Hold P2 Finance Forum Virtual Workshop Series
EPA’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board’s P2 workgroup and P2 program are launching a P2 Finance Forum to explore opportunities and challenges in financing sustainability. The forum will have an initial focus on advancing P2 opportunities for small- and medium-sized manufacturing businesses.
The first of three virtual workshops in this Forum will be held on March 9 from 12-1:30 p.m. EST. It will focus on financial structures and define P2 projects relevant to small businesses and manufacturers, characterize barriers and risks facing businesses and lenders, and explore financing mechanisms well-suited to overcome these barriers and risks.
Contact: Alison Kinn Bennett, kinn.alison@epa.gov.
Upcoming Webinars
Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project for Remove, Island and Islanded Communities
Feb. 16, 2 p.m. EST
This webinar will examine the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP) which helps remote, island and islanded communities transform their energy systems and increase energy resilience. ETIPP communities receive technical assistance on energy analysis and planning and are supported by an ETIPP regional partner that can assist with identifying and developing a community's needs and goals.
Speaker: Katrina Woodhams, project manager, resilience analyst, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Best Practices for Improving Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing Facilities
Feb. 22, 11 a.m.- 12 p.m. EST
This webinar is hosted by P2 grantee East Carolina University’s Center for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering and is targeted to engineers and facility managers. The webinar will provide an overview of best practices to implement in manufacturing facilities for improving energy efficiency, waste management and productivity. It will cover HVAC systems, boilers, chillers, compressed air systems, heat waste recovery systems, renewable energy utilization, and on-site power generation.
Speaker: Dr. S.A. Sherif, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, director of the Industrial Assessment Center and Mobile Energy Laboratory, University of Florida
Using EPA's Supply Chain GHG Emission Factors for Organizational GHG Reporting
March 10, 1 - 2 p.m. EST
Join us for guidance on using EPA’s Supply Chain Greenhouse Gas Emission Factors for U.S. Industries and Commodities, which are a comprehensive set of supply chain emission factors EPA published in 2020. Presenters will examine some simple examples of using the Factors for food and computer products and discuss future plans for management of the Factors.
Speakers:
- Wesley Ingwersen, EPA Office of Research and Development
- Mo Li, General Dynamics IT
P2 Resources
Safer Graffiti Removal: New Videos Available
New videos are now available on best management practices for graffiti removal. These videos were developed in part from a 2013 Source Reduction Grant awarded to the Institute for Research and Technical Assistance and are part of a broader collection of resources on safer graffiti removal in English and Spanish that can be found in the P2 Resources Search Tool. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that 3.4 million U.S. workers are potentially exposed to potentially harmful chemicals from graffiti remover.
|
P2 Helpline
The P2 Hub Helpline offers information and resources about pollution prevention. Please contact the Helpline at p2hub@epa.gov or (202) 566-0799.
|
