News Releases from Region 04

EPA Awards Palm Beach County, Florida $133,135 to Reduce Air Pollution

ATLANTA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded two grants totaling $133,135 to Palm Beach County, Florida aimed at reducing air pollution.  A $109,792 grant will be used by the county to support their ongoing program to protect air quality so that it achieves established ambient air standards and protects human health. Additionally, a $23,343 grant will be used to support compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards by continuing the ongoing collection of data on the ambient air concentrations of fine particulate matter in Palm Beach County.

“A fundamental part of EPA’s ‘back-to-basics agenda’ is strengthening our state and local partnerships. Grants like this are an example of how we can work together with states and municipalities to make significant investments and progress in cleaning up the air,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.

“These grants are great news.  Clean air is not only important for public health and our quality of life in Palm Beach, but it’s critical to our tourism economy as well.  As a member of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, I remain committed to strengthening efforts to protect our air quality,” said U.S. Representative Brian Mast (FL-18). 

Air pollution can affect heart health and even trigger heart attacks and strokes. That’s important information for the one in three Americans who have heart disease, and for the people who love them. In a recent study in Environmental Research, EPA scientists looked at data from NASA satellites and EPA ground-based air monitors, and confirmed that heart disease and heart attacks are more likely for individuals who live in places with higher air pollution. The study found that exposure to even small additional amounts of fine particle pollution averaged over a year could increase a person’s odds of a heart attack by up to 14 percent.

For more than forty years, the Clean Air Act has cut pollution as the U.S. economy has grown. It has also lowered levels of six common pollutants -- particles, ozone, lead, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide -- as well as numerous toxic pollutants. The progress of the Act reflects efforts by state, local and tribal governments; EPA; private sector companies; environmental groups and others.

To learn more about EPA Air Quality programs, visit: https://www3.epa.gov/airquality/

Connect with EPA Region 4 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion4

And on Twitter: @EPASoutheast