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Greetings! In this edition of the EFC eNews, you'll find recent news from EPA and other partners and organizations on environmental policy and issues, new publications, funding opportunities, and upcoming events. For more information on how to engage EFC, or to submit news and events, please feel free to contact us or visit our website.
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Workshops, Trainings & Webinars
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USDA-RD Consulting Engineers Statewide Training
Syracuse, NY | June 14
9:00AM - 3:00PM
This training will be presented by USDA Rural Development (RD) staff to provide consulting engineers with information regarding documentation needs for municipal water and wastewater projects funded through USDA Rural Development. The training is for consulting engineers, but fiscal advisors who work with RD funded municipal projects are also invited. The training is not recommended for applicants (such as municipal officials). For more details and to register, click here.
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EPA to Host Web Conference on the Draft "National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change"
Online | May 3
3:00PM - 4:00PM EST
EPA released the Draft "National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change" on April 2, 2012 for a 45-day public comment period. As part of ongoing efforts to continue the public outreach process, EPA is hosting a web-based conference on May 3, 2012, 3 to 5 p.m. EDT. This web conference will provide an opportunity to pose clarifying questions to EPA on aspects of the draft 2012 Strategy document prior to the end of the public comment period on May 17, 2012. For more information on the draft "National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change" and how to participate in the web conference, click here.
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Webinar: Innovative Energy Conservation Measures at Wastewater Treatment Facilities
Online | May 172:00 PM - 3:30 PM EST
This webinar will focus on innovative energy conservation measures at wastewater treatment facilities.The first part of this webcast will focus on energy conservation and self-sufficiency based on EPA's 2010 document titled "Evaluation of Energy Conservation Measures for Wastewater Treatment Facilities." The second part of the webcast will focus on the successful implementation of the various measures and energy recovery at the Sheboygan Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant in Wisconsin. Implementation of these cutting edge projects has enabled the facility to be well on its way to becoming energy self-sufficient. The webinar is free. To register, click here.
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"Coordination of the Water Sector and Emergency Services Sectors: An Important Step to Better Response" Document Released
EPA has released a new document, "Coordination of the Water Sector and Emergency Services Sectors: An Important Step to Better Response," which describes the mutually beneficial relationship of the water sector and emergency services sector and provides examples on how to improve coordination between water utilities and local emergency management agencies. The document recommends a series of actions for utilities to improve their coordination with local emergency management agencies, including joint tabletop exercises, sharing and coordinating response plans and emergency contact information, getting to know each other in advance of an emergency, and sharing information about how water services support emergency management agencies during a response. To view the document, click here.
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New Web Tool for Community Grant Resources
EPA is making it easier for communities to access its community-based grant resources. The Agency has crated a calendar of upcoming 2012 grant opportunities to help communities address environmental challenges. This page will be updated periodically to reflect upcoming EPA grant programs. In addition, EPA is offering a Grants 101 Tutorial to assist communities in understanding the grants process. To view the calendar, click here. To read the Grants 101 tutorial, click here. |
Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool Training Modules Available Online
Training modules for EPA's Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT) software are now available for viewing or download. The CREAT software was developed under the Agency's Climate Ready Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative, which provides drinking water, wastewater, and storm water utilities with practical tools, training, and technical assistance to confront climate change through climate related risk assessment. For more information on how to become "climate ready," visit U.S. EPA's CRWU website here.
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Report on the First Year of New York's Producer Responsibility E-Waste Law
One year after New York State passed the comprehensive New York e-waste law, a new report concludes that the law has successfully stimulated a competitive electronics recycling marketplace, but that improvements are needed in public education (a manufacturer responsibility under the law) and in collection convenience in some underserved parts of the state. A fuller version of the report will be released this summer. To view the report, click here.
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| EPA Releases Innovative Mapping Tool to Improve Environmental Reviews and Planning
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the public release of a web-based mapping tool developed for Federal agencies to facilitate more efficient and effective environmental reviews and project planning. The tool, NEPAssist, draws information from publicly available federal, state, and local datasets, allowing NEPA practitioners, stakeholders and the public to view information about environmental conditions within the area of a proposed project quickly and easily at early stages of project development.To explore the tool, click here.
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Toronto First North American City to Require Green Roofs
Toronto is making history as the first city in North American to require green roofs on new developments moves into the third phase of its Green Roof Bylaw on April 30, 2012. Adopted in 2009, the bylaw required the environmentally friendly roofs on residential, commercial and institutional buildings starting in 2010. Now, with the addition of industrial developments, all new buildings with a minimum Gross Floor Area of 2,000 square meters will be required to devote 20-60 percent of Available Roof Space to vegetation. For the full story from Care2, click here.
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May 3, 2012
EPA Web Conference on Draft "National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change"
Online
May 17, 2012
Webinar: Innovative Energy Conservation Measures at Wastewater Treatment Facilities
Online
Details
May 20-23, 2012
Strive for Sustainability Conference
Lake George, NY
Details
June 14, 2012
USDA-RD Consulting Engineers Statewide Training
Syracuse, NY
Details
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US Department of Commerce:
Deadline: May 9
Department of Interior:
FY 2012 Water & Wastewater
Deadline: May 31
US Environmental Protection Agency:
Region 2 Wetland Program Development Grants
Deadline: June 8
Helpful links for funding sources, as well as a number of published funding guides, can be found at the EFC website.
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Green Project Exchange
is a user-driven database that showcases innovative, environmentally focused projects from across New York State.
This month's featured project is System Wide Water Meter Project. The village of Saranac Lake has a population of more than 5,000 people. The Saranac Lake Department of Public Works began studying village water consumption in 2007. There are 1,900 service connections in the village, but only about half had actual water meters, which were not owned by Saranac Lake. The setup made for an inefficient, two-pronged billing structure for both metered use and flat rates. After first fixing leaks identified by DPW, the village determined that an overabundance of water was being consumed by residents, businesses, and municipal buildings. The Saranac Lake System Wide Water Meter Project was conceived as a solution to conserve water and streamline billing operations. Through a combination of grant and local funding, 1,900 new village-owned water meters were purchased to replace old meters and meter the rest of the connections. The village began installing the meters in March 2010.
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The Environmental Finance Center at Syracuse University facilitates the development of sustainable and resilient communities across US EPA Region 2 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and eight tribal nations).
Located at the SyracuseCoE Center for Sustainable Community Solutions, EFC enhances the administrative and financial capacities of state and local government officials, nonprofit organizations, and private sectors to make change toward improved environmental infrastructure and quality of life.
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Communications and
Program Manager
Kathy Forrest
Administrative Assistant
Mark Lichtenstein
EFC Director and
Principal Investigator
Carissa Matthews
Outreach Program Manager
Mandy Westerdahl
Education Program Manager
Melissa Young
Program Manager
Tara Baron
Brad DeFrees
Sam Lauritzen
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