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EPA Opens Office In The Virgin Islands To Enhance Environmental Support

Release Date: 04/03/1998
Contact Information:

(#98026) St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands -- The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today marked the opening of its first office in the U.S. Virgin Islands with a ceremony at the Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in St. Thomas.

"EPA believes that the best solutions to environmental problems are locally based and tailored to local conditions," said EPA Regional Administrator Jeanne M. Fox at today's opening ceremony. "Nowhere is this more true than here in the unique ecosystem of the Virgin Islands. That's why we have opened this office in St. Thomas. It demonstrates our commitment to provide a high level of environmental support here in the Virgin Islands."

The establishment of an EPA office in St. Thomas will help the Agency work more closely with the Virgin Islands government to better protect the health of Island residents and the Island's natural resources. It will also enable the Agency to more effectively provide information to the public and to offer compliance assistance to the regulated community.

"We hope that residents of the Virgin Islands and their elected representatives will use the office as a resource," added Ms. Fox. "Whether you are seeking an educational grant to help an environmental science class, or technical guidance on groundwater pollution, or just information, EPA can help you protect the beautiful environment with which you have been blessed."

The new Virgin Islands office will be run by Jim Casey, an EPA environmental engineer, who has worked for the past three years with the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources under an interagency agreement with EPA.

The address of the new office is US EPA, Caribbean Environmental Protection Division, Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 5500 Veterans Drive, Room 142, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, 00802. The phone number is (340) 714-2333.

For more information contact:
Jim Casey
EPA Caribbean Environmental Protection Division
U.S. Courthouse
5500 Veterans Drive, Room 142
St. Thomas, VI 00802
Voice: 340-714-2333 FAX: 340-714-2332 E-Mail: casey.jim@epamail.epa.gov