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Trailnet, Inc., Receives $119,797 EPA Cooperative Agreement to Help Plan for Low-Stress Bike and Pedestrian Trails in St. Louis

Release Date: 09/16/2014
Contact Information: Chris Whitley, 913-551-7394, whitley.christopher@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., Sept. 16, 2014) - Trailnet, Inc., a non-profit organization in St. Louis, Mo., will receive $119,797 from EPA to work with local residents, governments, business leaders and universities to plan and design more easily accessible and safe bicycle and walking routes in the city.

The funding to Trailnet comes through EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program, which provides funding for non-profit and tribal organizations to partner with stakeholders from across industry, government, and academia to develop and implement solutions that significantly address environmental and/or public health issues in American communities.

Through its “Green Streets for Everyone” project, Trailnet aims to increase the creation of low-stress, green bicycle and pedestrian pathways as an effective way to help the city of St. Louis improve its watershed management, reduce water and air pollution, increase physical activity in underserved communities, and reduce asthma rates.

To achieve these goals, Trailnet will partner with residents, local government, business leaders and universities to create an extensive community engagement plan, including technical workshops to help residents understand how infrastructure impacts their health and well-being. Trailnet and its partners will also develop a detailed scope of work to help the city of St. Louis plan, design and construct easily accessible and safe bicycle and walking routes.

“These cooperative agreements empower communities to implement environmental protection projects locally,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “With these agreements, EPA advances our commitment to communities by providing financial and technical assistance to take action against environmental harm.”

The cooperative agreement with Trailnet is one of 12 such agreements announced nationally today by EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice. Each of this year’s recipients are awarded up to $120,000 to support two-year projects. Projects must use the Collaborative Problem Solving model, comprised of seven elements of a successful collaborative partnership, to address local environmental and/or public health issues.

Environmental justice is defined as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race or income, in the environmental decision-making process. These awards represent EPA’s commitment to promoting localized, community-based actions to address environmental justice issues.

Please visit this online document (PDF) (4 pp., 27K, About PDF) for a complete listing of the 2014 Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement recipients and project descriptions.

In the fall of 2014, EPA plans to release a Request for Applications for the fiscal year 2015 Environmental Justice Small Grants Program. A schedule of pre-application teleconference calls will be announced at that time.

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Learn more about EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving Cooperative Agreement Program

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