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EPA Awards the District of Columbia a $500,000 Environmental Information Grant

Release Date: 8/21/2003
Contact Information: Bonnie Smith, 215-814-5543

Bonnie Smith, 215-814-5543

PHILADELPHIA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the District of Columbia Department of Health $500,000 to help the department expand its information technology resources as a part of a national initiative to collect and share environmental data.

“The grant awarded to the District will smooth the transfer of data online, EPA’s goal is a national environmental management system that provides citizens with the best environmental data possible,” said Donald S. Welsh, mid-Atlantic regional administrator.

These grant funds are to help the District reduce the environmental reporting burden on industry and the District; foster air, water, waste and geographic approaches to problem solving; and provide the public with meaningful, real-time access to environmental data.

This is the first phase of fiscal year 2003 funding for ongoing work on the national environmental information exchange network, which shares environmental data between EPA, states, tribes and other partners over the Internet. When completed, the exchange network will integrate state and federal environmental data, facilitate the reporting of data to EPA Headquarters by the states, and improve data quality.

The exchange network is part of an e-government initiative using Internet technology to streamline reporting, improve the delivery of timely and reliable data to citizens, and increase cooperation among federal, state, and tribal authorities.

These funds are part of the $2 million in environmental information grants to four states, the District of Columbia and two Native American tribes. Other grantees include:

• Cherokee Nation (Okla.), challenge grant of $190,000
• Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control,
readiness grant $297,700
• Kansas Department of Health and Environment, readiness grant of
$297,700
• North Dakota Department of Health, environmental health section
one stop grant of $500,000
• Maryland Department of the Environment, readiness grant of $297,700
• Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe ( N.Y.), readiness grant of $100,000.

More information on the different types of grants and EPA’s national environmental information exchange network is available at: .