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EPA Awards Grants to Reduce Indoor Pollutant Exposure, Protect Public Health (November 24, 2014)                

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded funding to eight organizations throughout the United States to protect public health by reducing exposure to indoor pollutants, such as radon, and environmental asthma triggers commonly found in homes, schools, offices and other large buildings. Through a competitive grant process, EPA is providing $4.5 million in funds to ensure Americans, especially in low-income, minority and tribal communities, are able to reduce their exposure to indoor pollutants and safeguard their families' health.

EPA will collaborate with the recipients of the three-year cooperative agreements to:
* prevent future lung cancer deaths by reducing public exposure to radon by mitigating risks in existing homes and schools and by constructing new homes and schools with radon-reducing features;
* prevent asthma attacks, emergency room visits, and other poor health outcomes by supporting delivery, infrastructure and/or sustainability of environmental asthma interventions at home and school, with a focus on populations disproportionately impacted by asthma; and
* prevent other poor health outcomes through expanded support of state and local efforts to improve indoor air quality by promoting best practices and policies. 

The recipients of the "National Indoor Environments Program:  Reducing Public Exposure to Indoor Pollutants" cooperative agreements are:

American Lung Association, Washington, DC
American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest, Springfield, IL
America's Health Insurance Plans, Washington, DC
Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, Frankfort, KY
Environmental Law Institute, Washington, DC
Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
National Center for Healthy Housing, Columbia, MD
Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA

For more information on these innovative projects, visit www.epa.gov/iaq.

EPA Awards Environmental Education Grants to Recipients in 18 States (November 4, 2014)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the completion of awards for the 2013 Environmental Education Model Grants Program. Projects include community energy education, summer programs for low-income teenagers, integration of multimedia learning tools into watershed education, environmental health education on the impact of climate change and asthma, and hands-on K-12 environmental education programs. From applications received in 2013, EPA has funded 20 grants from across the country, ranging from $75,000- 200,000 for a total of approximately $2.8 million.

Winners of the 2013 competition include recipients from 18 states: Maine, Rhode Island, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Alabama, South Carolina, Illinois, Michigan, Louisiana, Texas, Nebraska, Colorado, Montana, Arizona, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.
Since 1992, EPA has distributed between $2 and $3.5 million in grant funding per year, for a total of $62,143,290, supporting more than 3,600 grant projects. Applications for the 2014 EE Model Grants Program will be available later in Fall 2014.

For more information on the new awardees and on future EE grant competitions visit, http://www2.epa.gov/education/environmental-education-ee-grants.