News Releases from Region 01

New Hampshire Awarded $936,308 EPA Grant for Environmental Programs

BOSTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a $936,308 grant to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NH DES) to help protect human health and the environment throughout the state.

The funds are part of a performance partnership grants (PPG), which are given to states and some local governments to help implement environmental programs that they have authority to run. This particular grant is one of several installments of multi-year incremental PPG funding to NH DES bringing the total funds granted in Fiscal Years 2016 and 2017 to $9,270,514.

"EPA is providing funds directly to New Hampshire so that the state may determine how best to address its unique and critical environmental challenges," said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. "EPA grants to our partners like NH DES give states the flexibility to protect their resources and grow their economy while solving real environmental problems in local communities."

NHDES Commissioner Robert Scott noted that "NHDES continues to rely heavily upon the funding provided through the annual US EPA PPG to support many of our core programs and activities. The consolidation of several grant programs into a single award allows us to reduce administrative costs and direct federal funds to meet the environmental priorities of both US EPA and New Hampshire."

This grant will help protect citizens and the environment in New Hampshire by supporting the state's effort to reduce air and water pollution, improve waste management and promote pollution prevention and sustainable practices. NH DES will use a portion of the funding on public drinking water maintenance and supervision as well as and public beach protection.

The PPG funds being provided will support the state to continue operation of its environmental programs while giving greater flexibility to address environmental priorities and strengthen partnership with EPA. The State of New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services will administer environmental programs for air, water, and waste with flexibility to direct resources where they are most needed to address environmental and public health priorities.

Performance partnership grants are important tools for EPA to provide financial assistance to states and tribes. These grants allow recipients to use EPA awards with greater flexibility for priority environmental problems or program needs, streamline paperwork and accounting procedures to reduce administrative costs, and try cross-program initiatives and approaches that were difficult to fund under traditional category grants.

EPA's foundational laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, allow EPA to delegate authority to the States or local governments to implement and enforce those laws. These delegated entities may also develop their own regulations if they are more stringent than federal requirements.