EPA and Texas team up to eliminate water pollution

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) a performance partnership grant of $2,775,937 for administering water quality and environmental programs.
“This grant represents what EPA is all about, empowering states to protect their environment,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “Texas has some of the most unique and important environmental resources in America, and the people of Texas know and respect those resources better than anyone. This grant is an example of how EPA ought to do business and demonstrates the value of state and federal partnerships.”
“State partnership grants enable EPA and our state partners to effectively handle the most demanding environmental problems,” said Acting Regional Administrator Sam Coleman. “This grant is another demonstration of the value of state and federal partnerships.”
The funds will go toward TCEQ programs to prevent, reduce and eliminate water pollution by setting quality standards, monitoring water quality, granting permits, and assuring compliance with regulations. The funds will also help administer TCEQ’s environmental management programs, which monitor, abate and control hazardous waste, solid waste, air pollution, and pesticides.
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.
For more about EPA grants: https://www.epa.gov/grants
For more about EPA’s work in Texas: https://www.epa.gov/tx.
Activities in EPA Region 6: http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.htm